CLEARFIELD – One of the suspects in a burglary where more than $68,000 of items were removed from a DuBois home was scheduled to be sentenced Monday in Clearfield County Court.
Rikki Lee Stephens, 22, currently an inmate of the jail, is also charged with criminal conspiracy/burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property in connection with the June burglary.
The victim addressed the court explaining to President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman how this crime has affected his life. He said he and his wife fight all the time and he is always fighting with the insurance company regarding his losses.
Although he wasn’t sure how his home was selected since he did not know any of the burglars, he suspected a woman who had been living with them posted information on Facebook about the items in the home.
When Ammerman questioned what was taken, the victim stated that he had a coin and stamp collection that alone was worth $20,000. He added that “you name it, they took it” but some of the items have been recovered.
The victim said he was not aware that Stephens had signed a plea agreement that would only give her a seven-month jail sentence.
Stephens’ attorney, Heather Bozovich, explained that Stephens was cooperating with the investigation and the items Stephens took had been returned. Bozovich stated that Stephens was addicted to drugs and had gotten involved with a “bad group of guys.”
Her parents also spoke in her defense, stating she was just “involved with the wrong people” and detailed her other personal problems.
Ammerman questioned why Stephens was being sentenced before the other two cases were resolved. Assistant District Attorney Ben Baker responded, saying one of the co-defendants had already signed a plea agreement.
Ammerman agreed to sentence her with the condition that Stephens would cooperate in the other two cases. After hearing this, Stephens shook her head, which caused Ammerman to change his mind.
“She just did something negative,” he said, adding that he didn’t trust her. “She needs to grow up,” he said.
Ammerman then continued her sentencing hearing in this case and two other cases until December.
Her co-defendants are Travis Roy Gonzales, 31, who is scheduled to be sentenced in November and Torry David Gonzales, 33, both of DuBois.
According to a previous article, this burglary led police to a Spring Avenue residence, where they apprehended Torry Gonzales near a vehicle.
When they knocked on the door of this home, it was shut in an officer’s face. Because it was believed other suspects were inside, police had a stand-off. They evacuated the area and waited for a search warrant. When police entered the home, it was discovered to be empty, according to previous reports.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, when the vehicle was searched, officers found a sawed off shotgun of the same type stolen in the burglary. There was also a stock of a shotgun and a small hack saw in the vehicle. In the front seat, they found a backpack with items missing from the burglarized home.