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Man Sentenced For Washington County Food Pantry Theft
By: WOUB Contributing Writer
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Just around 7 months ago Candy Waite showed up at the Gospel Mission Food Pantry to find empty shelves.
Everything, from food to clothing, was gone.
Five out of the six charged with the theft, she actually served and even took under her wing.
Waite still can't believe it happened.
She praises the giving community for the days after and their continued support.
She says what the suspects did was just evil.
There was no rhyme or reason involved, and especially after she fed and clothed five of them.
Tuesday Eric Sciance stood in front of the judge in the Washington County Courthouse and pleaded guilty to theft and receiving stolen property.
He previously pleaded guilty to the breaking and entering at the pantry.
He was sentenced Tuesday on all three charges.
Sciance was sentenced to ten months in jail with credit from the days he has already served and three years community control
"He's now been convicted and sentenced so he doesn't have a fifth amendment right any longer, if the defendants, say they want a trial, he is now available to the state," says Prosecutor Kevin Rings.
"I wasn't mad I didn't know how to pray, and it took the lord a week to show me, how to pray, that they will be truly sorry for what they did and never do this to anyone let alone a food pantry," says Candy Waite.
Waite says she does forgive but she never forgets.
She learned so much from this terrible event.
She says this is a God run food pantry so she can only hope and pray something like this never happens again and those charged learn from their mistakes.
This article contributed by WTAP Television in Parkersburg
UPDATE 10/16/2013 2:30 PM
A guilty plea in connection with the a Marietta food pantry break-in.
Christopher Lent pleads guilty to complicity to breaking and entering.
In June the the Gospel Mission Food Pantry was raided, with 90 percent of its food supply stolen.
Two others have also been indicted in connection with the break-in – Eric Sciance and William Mitchell.
Lent was sentenced to 150 days in jail and three years of community control.
The Washington County Grand jury indicted Eric Sciance, Christopher Lent and William Mitchell in connection with the Gospel Mission Food Pantry break-in.
Science and Mitchell each face three counts of breaking and entering. Lent is charged with possessing criminal tools and three counts of complicity to breaking and entering.
Marietta police captain Jeff Waite says he expects two more men to be indicted by the next grand jury.
A 16-year-old boy was also arrested.
Also indicted was Allan Scott Varner Jr. on four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of sexual battery.
Brent Deeter was indicted for two counts of breaking and entering and theft of the Valley Gem Sternwheeler, a Marietta landmark.
“It's a real big problem for the people whose metal is stolen if it shuts down their business or stops them from conducting their affairs because a necessary piece of equipment has been vandalized or destroyed for scrap metal,” says Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Rings.
Rings says he's not sure if there's an increase in this type of crime, but they are seeing it happen more frequently, at least a couple of cases a month.