A man accused of leading a ring that broke into six St. Thomas businesses and a Water and Power Authority facility and stole an estimated $26,000 in 1996 pleaded guilty Wednesday to burglarizing Quality Foods, Western Auto and WAPA.
Warrington Marsham entered the guilty plea to the three counts of grand larceny as his trial was about to enter its third day in Territorial Court, The Daily News reported.
By law, Marsham, 24, faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for the crimes. According to The Daily News, he entered the guilty plea under the terms of an agreement with the prosecution not to invoke the territory's habitual offender statute, which carries a term of 10 years to life in prison for the crimes, the newspaper said.
The break-ins occurred in 1996. The burglars used a sledgehammer to gain access in some cases and used a blowtorch to cut into metal safes.
Two of the three other defendants in the case, Samuel Leader and Henry Williams, plea bargained with the prosecution in exchange for testifying against Marsham. Leader pleaded guilty to two counts of grand larceny and Williams, to one count of grand larceny. All three men are to be sentenced on April 21 by Territorial Court Judge Ive Swan.