CLEARFIELD – A DuBois woman pleaded guilty Tuesday for her involvement in a burglary where several firearms were stolen.
Savannah Marie Johnston, 20, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property. President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman sentenced her to serve four months to one year in jail and one year consecutive probation.
The charges stem from a burglary in June of 2016 when her co-defendants Travis Roy Gonzales, 32, DuBois, Torry David Gonzales, 34, also of DuBois and Rikki Lee Stephens, 22, broke into the residence taking guns, safes, DVD players, coins and other property.
Prior to sentencing, Ammerman asked First Assistant District Attorney Ryan Dobo why a felony conspiracy charge was not included in her plea agreement. Dobo stated that the prosecution was having problems tying her to the firearms.
According to the affidavit in her co-defendant’s cases, Johnston told police Stephens and Travis Gonzalez borrowed her vehicle the night of the burglary.
They returned to a Spring Avenue home with a box of items. When Johnston asked where the items came from, Stephens told her they went into a house. Travis and Torry Gonzales left again and returned with food, jewelry and two guns wrapped in a towel, Johnston told police.
According to Johnston’s affidavit, after her original interview with police, she admitted to having stolen property in her vehicle.
She also said Torry Gonzalez had the gun with him and transported it to her storage unit. Later she called another man to come and get the gun from the unit.
When police spoke with this man, he said he knew where Johnston put the stolen gun and would retrieve it. He came back in about 45 minutes with a rifle that he turned over to police. It was confirmed to be one of the guns missing from the residence.
Additional items including two safes were recovered from the DuBois Manor Motel in a room rented by Torry Gonzales, police said. A search warrant served on luggage owned by Travis Gonzales uncovered more items taken in the crime.
Among the things stolen were the victim’s credit cards. Police were able to review security footage of the transactions on the cards on June 30, 2016.
In one of these, officers saw Torry and Travis Gonzales purchasing items at Martin’s Grocery Store and in other footage Travis Gonzales and Stephens using the card at the Dollar General Store in Brookville.
In June of 2017 when Torry David Gonzales, 34, pleaded guilty to burglary, receiving stolen property, prohibited offensive weapons, and criminal mischief in this case, Ammerman sentenced him to a total of 40 months to 10 years in state prison.
Travis Roy Gonzales, pleaded guilty in December to burglary and access device fraud. He was sentenced by Ammerman to 29 months to five years in state prison.
Stephens, 22, also pleaded guilty in December to burglary and theft by unlawful taking. She was sentenced to seven to 14 months in the county jail and two years consecutive probation.
