CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man was sent to state prison for multiple cases during sentencing court Tuesday.
Dewey Kent Smallwood, 53, pleaded guilty to conspiracy/theft by unlawful taking in one case, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in a second, possession of a small amount of marijuana in a third and driving under the influence in the fourth and fifth cases.
Judge Paul E. Cherry sentenced him to a total of 18 months to four years in state prison.
According to the affidavit in the theft case, on Oct. 8, 2021, Smallwood and Melissa Cartwright, 48, of Clearfield, were seen trying to get money from one of the PA Skill Machines at a Clearfield restaurant. When questioned by police, they denied taking any money.
Security footage showed Smallwood “using his hands to bend back the front panel of the machine.”
Cartwright is also seen putting her hands inside the machine, but her hand is empty when she removed it.
They reportedly attempted to get money three times.
Cartwright pleaded guilty to felony criminal attempt/theft by unlawful taking and was sentenced to two years probation in September.
In the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle case, on May 14, 2022, a man reported that Smallwood and another man had been at his home where they showed him a handgun and AK-47 they had stolen from a Mineral Springs residence. They left in a vehicle that belonged to someone else.
The witness appeared to be under the influence of something and when police checked, they could find no such theft had occurred.
Meanwhile, the vehicle the two were traveling in was reported stolen by another individual who was “clearly under the influence, as his speech was slurred and he was not making sense when he spoke.”
He stated he had given the two men permission to use the vehicle but they had not returned it.
The other owner of the vehicle was contacted and she did not know either of the two men who were known to be using the car. She contacted police again after it was not returned six days later.
Eventually the car was located on May 18 and stopped by state police in Mercer County. Smallwood was the driver but no firearms were recovered.
Due to the DUI charges, Smallwood must complete the DUI School, undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and surrender his license.
He was fined a total of over $3,300 plus costs.
