By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — Five of the seven people charged in December for their involvement in a scrap metal crime spree throughout the county have been convicted. Some of them accepted plea agreements.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office tracked several scrap metal thefts to a Kannapolis church, an abandoned home on Happy Lake Road, a Goodson Road home and a Saw Road home. One of the seven was charged with stealing scrap metal from Salisbury Machinery at Litton Drive.
Authorities said they stole air conditioning units and copper parts.
Chadwick “Chad” Lee Eudy, 37, pleaded guilty during an April session of probable cause court to misdemeanor larceny of metal. A charge of misdemeanor possession of marijuana was dismissed by the district attorney’s office.
He was sentenced to 45 days with the N.C. Department of Correction. He was also ordered to pay $260 in court costs and $185 in court-appointed attorney fees.
Eudy also has a pending case scheduled for December involving drug possession and probation violation.
Ronald “Duke” Dale Honeycutt, 34, pleaded guilty and was found guilty of misdemeanor larceny and misdemeanor attempted breaking and or entering a building.
The court sentenced Honeycutt to 60 days in jail. He received credit for 55 days spent in jail. He was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution. Honeycutt also had to pay $750 in court costs.
In January, the court voluntarily dismissed a charge of five counts felony larceny, misdemeanor larceny, two counts felony breaking and entering a building, felony breaking and entering and two counts felony obtaining property by false pretenses.
Honeycutt is also expected in court in December for a driving while license revoked infraction.
Shelly Lee Euart, 28, and James Michael Jones, 29, who were both charged with misdemeanor larceny, are slated to be in court Thursday.
Catherine Darlene Leffler Stegall, 35, pleaded guilty and was found guilty of misdemeanor larceny. She was also convicted of the lesser offense of misdemeanor possession of stolen goods. A charge of felony larceny was dismissed by the district attorney’s office.
Stegall was ordered to complete 120 days with the N.C. Department of Correction, which was suspended to 18 months of supervised probation. She was also ordered to pay $265 in court-appointed attorney fees, not possess or sell any scrap metal while on probation.
Stegall has to pay a $50 fine and $335 in court costs.
She is currently serving time for a 2010 drug possession conviction and is expected to be released in October. The incident occurred in 2007 and her sentence began in February.
Jeffrey Milton Craig, 30, pleaded guilty and was found guilty of felony larceny. He was sentenced to eight to 19 months in the N.C. Department of Correction, which was suspended to three years of supervised probation.
Craig was ordered to pay $265 in court and attorney fees, submit to DNA testing, perform 72 hours of community service, pay $15,000 in restitution. His probation is to be transferred to Cabarrus County.
Craig’s charges of felony larceny and two counts of misdemeanor injury to real property were all dismissed by the district attorney’s office.
Christopher James Coubal, 31, pleaded guilty and was found guilty of felony larceny.
He was sentenced to eight to 19 months in the N.C. Department of Correction, which was suspended to three years of supervised probation.
The court ordered Coubal to obtain his GED within six months. He was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution. Coubal was also ordered to complete 72 hours of community service.
The district attorney’s office dismissed felony larceny and two counts of misdemeanor injury to real property against Coubal.
Both Craig and Coubal turned themselves in to authorities around the time of the incident.
Officials believed Craig and Coubal caused more than $60,000 in damages to a large air conditioning unit at Extreme Motorsports on West Ritchie Road.
All restitution is to be divided among those convicted.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.