A Lancaster man will serve up to 32 years in prison for wielding a sawed-off shotgun during a home-invasion robbery last year in West Lampeter Township.
Earl D. Walker Jr., 44, and two other individuals were armed when they entered a West Kendig Road home on July 9, 2018.
Lancaster County President Judge Dennis E. Reinaker recently sentenced Walker to 16 to 32 years in prison.
Eight people were inside the home, including a man who was hit in the face with the shotgun and lost several teeth, according to Assistant District Attorney Barry Goldman.
Other occupants of the home, including children, were threatened by Walker and the other intruders – Carol Gast, who had a BB gun (that appeared to be a real gun), and a juvenile who had a pipe.
Gast, 32, was sentenced Wednesday, also by President Judge Reinaker, to 4 to 8 years in prison. Her role in the incident and lack of a prior criminal record was factored into sentence, according to ADA Goldman.
Police put the case together with assistance from the CODY/COBRA radio system, which provided information on potential suspects in the home-invasion based on vehicle information from a traffic stop earlier in the year.
Walker had pleaded guilty to numerous counts, including robbery, burglary, aggravated assault and several counts of reckless endangerment, according to ADA Goldman.
West Lampeter Township police Officer Steven Heinly filed charges.
A second juvenile, a 15-year-old girl, is also charged. Police determined she was in a getaway vehicle during the home-invasion.
Cases against both juveniles are pending.
The CODY/COBRA bridge system allows police departments the capability to view each other’s Records Management Systems (RMS). More than half of Lancaster County’s police departments, and counting, use the bridge system.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright