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North Platte man sentenced to probation for burglarizing church
McCOOK, Neb. -- A North Platte man accused of burglarizing the Congregational Church on East E Street in McCook was sentenced to probation time earlier this month in Red Willow County District Court.
The man, 19-year-old Maxwell J. Allen, was originally facing a Class 2A felony alleging he burglarized the church in October of 2015. He accepted a plea agreement in September admitting guilt to a trio of misdemeanor offenses, including a Class I misdemeanor for criminal trespassing; a Class 2 misdemeanor for theft by unlawfully taking property valued at less than $500; and a Class 3 misdemeanor for criminal mischief which caused damage to property valued at less than $500.
Allen was subsequently sentenced to 24 months probation during a Nov. 7, 2016, sentencing hearing.
Investigators found the window to an office door in the church had been broken out by a candle holder and the office ransacked, according to court documents. Small bills intended for an upcoming bake sale were reported stolen, totaling just shy of $300.
The thief was believed to have entered the church through a window, where a screen had been ripped off and fingerprints were found.
Other activity in Red Willow County District Court, Nov. 7, 2016:
* A plea agreement was reached with 25-year-old Nicholas R. Clapp of 405 West 4th Street admitting guilt to a Class IV felony for operation of a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and a Class 1 misdemeanor for attempted possession of a controlled substance. He was subsequently scheduled for sentencing at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 9, 2017.
Clapp was originally facing eight charges, including a Class IV felony alleging possession of a controlled substance; a Class IV felony alleging he operated a motor vehicle to avoid arrest; a Class 2 misdemeanor alleging he left the scene of an accident; a Class 2 misdemeanor alleging no insurance; a Class 3 misdemeanor alleging willful reckless driving; an infraction alleging possession of drug paraphernalia; an infraction alleging possession of an open alcohol container; and an infraction alleging he was speeding 16-20 mph over the posted limit.
In April of 2014 Clapp received prison time on a similar conviction for operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. After crashing a stolen sports car into a ditch south of McCook, while attempting to allude police officers, he accepted a plea agreement admitting guilt to a felony offense of theft by unlawful taking and a misdemeanor offense for operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, according to court documents.
Clapp was sentenced to serve 2-4 years in state prison on the theft charge and a consecutive 2-6 months for the misdemeanor flight offense during an April 2014 sentencing hearing in Red Willow County District Court.
The 2014 chase and subsequent arrest of Clapp occurred 407 days after he had been sentenced to a 718 day county jail sentence stemming from several home invasion offenses. Clapp and another man forced their way into several local homes wearing bandanas to hide their identity and assaulting residents that they startled awake in many instances, according to court documents. The crime resulted in Clapp's conviction on seven Class I misdemeanor third degree assault offenses and one Class III misdemeanor offense for disturbing the peace.