Man sentenced in burglary
A Slippery Rock man, charged with burglarizing a home and stealing two guns from a man who was later murdered in an unrelated case, was sentenced to county prison in Butler County Court on Thursday.
Cody R. Howard, 26, was sentenced to nine to 18 months in the Butler County Prison, with 210 days time served credit, by county Judge Timothy McCune, after previously pleading guilty to felony criminal trespass on Sept. 5.
Pennsylvania State Police said Howard broke into the home of 74-year-old James S. Martin on 10th Street in East Butler and stole the firearms on Nov. 24.
Howard admitted to Martin that he stole the weapons over text message, and was also caught on video surveillance from Martin’s home, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Howard was later arrested in Washington County in January.
Police questioned Howard in a homicide incident that involved Martin, who was found stabbed to death at his home on Dec. 30, but did not consider him a suspect.
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
