HERMITAGE

Driver in attempted robbery sentenced

James S. Byerly, who admitted to joining in a Sept. 7, 1999, attempted house robbery in Hermitage, was sentenced Thursday to three to 18 months in Mercer County Jail.

Byerly, 23, of 218 Wansack Road, Shenango Township, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a robbery. Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas R. Dobson gave him credit for 11 days he already spent in jail and fined him $200 for his plea to driving during suspension.

Hermitage police arrested Byerly along with Bradley T. Miller, 21, of 1146 Haig St., Sharon; Shane U. Matthews, 26, of 251 Fourth St., Sharon; Marcus L. Cheeks, 28, of 416 Logan Ave., Sharon, and Michael V. Bailey, 23, of 960 Mayfield Road, Sharpsville. All except Bailey have pleaded guilty to roles in the incident.

Hermitage police said they spotted Byerly in a truck parked after hours at Hermitage Middle School. Police said they escorted Byerly to a gas station, where he allegedly paged the other men to warn them of the police. The group allegedly planned to rob a Dutch Lane home. Later that night, police stopped the truck on Lamor Road with Byerly and Miller in the cab and the rest hiding in the bed, guns were also found.

As a condition of his parole after the jail sentence, Dobson ordered Byerly not to have contact with other men accused in the incident. When asked why he became involved, Byerly said he "wanted to be with my friends."

"That was when you should have walked away," Dobson said.