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Office of the Attorney General
Attorney General Conway Announces Conviction of Multi-County Burglar/Robber
Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Special Prosecutions today announced the conviction of 42-year-old Gerald D. Weddle in Oldham Circuit Court for his part in a multi-county crime spree in 2007.
Weddle today entered a guilty plea to several crimes in Oldham and Henry counties. In connection with the Oldham County cases, he pled guilty to two counts of burglary third degree, two counts of burglary second degree, four counts of burglary first degree (for committing burglary with a firearm) and one count of robbery second degree. He pled guilty to one count of burglary second degree in connection with crimes that occurred in Henry County. All of the charges will be enhanced for being a persistent felony offender first degree.
General Conway’s Office of Special Prosecutions, handling the Oldham and Henry County indictments, recommended a 40-year sentence for these crimes. The judge imposed the recommended sentence today.
“Thanks to the hard work and diligence of investigators and prosecutors, a career criminal is off the streets and unable to victimize Kentucky families,” General Conway said.
Weddle has previously entered guilty pleas in Hardin, Jefferson and Spencer counties on cases handled by the Commonwealth’s Attorneys of each of those counties.
The investigation revealed that Weddle, who already had several previous state and federal felony convictions and was on supervised release at the time the crimes happened, would drive through several Kentucky counties on weekends - scouting out likely houses to burglarize. He would return on a week day and commit the break-ins during the day. The homes of the targeted victims were normally set back from the road and not easily visible. Weddle would knock on the door to determine if anyone was home. If no one answered, he would proceed to break-in. The stolen items were sold or exchanged for drugs or money.
Weddle faces similar charges from this period of time that are currently pending in Floyd and Harrison counties in Indiana, where he is expected to be transferred next for prosecution.
Weddle’s accomplice, his sister and former nurse’s aide Cynthia K. Long, previously entered guilty pleas in Harrison County, Ind. and in Jefferson, Oldham and Henry counties in Kentucky for her role in the burglaries and unrelated adult exploitation crimes. She is scheduled to be sentenced in Oldham Circuit Court on December 3.
The investigation involved local police agencies from each of the affected Kentucky counties, as well as investigators with the Harrison and Floyd County, Ind., prosecutors’ offices.
“This case demonstrates my office’s commitment to working with local police and prosecutors in any jurisdiction necessary to ensure that career criminals receive the full measure of justice,” said General Conway. “I particularly want to recognize the assistance and cooperation of Indiana law-enforcement agencies to ensure a sound result for all the jurisdictions affected in this case.”
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