Member Of Burglary Ring Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison

One more member of the burglary ring that Mentor Police helped bust last September has been sentenced to prison.

Lake County Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Collins Jr. sentenced Robert Nelson to eight years in prison Monday.

Nelson, 30, of Madison, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary.

Collins also ordered Nelson to pay about $3,000 in restitution to his victims.

Nelson -- along with his codefendants Rose Santos and Rodney Williams -- were arrested by Mentor Police last year.

Police had staked out Stockbridge Road because of previous break-ins in the neighborhood, police said.

When another break-in happened, police stopped a Buick LeSabre with Nelson and Williams in it. They also stopped Santos, who was walking on foot nearby.

Police found jewelry that had been taken from the house on Santos and in the LeSabre, police said.

Prosecutors said the trio are part of a burglary ring that broke into houses in Lake and Ashtabula County, stole jewelry and sold it for money to buy drugs.

Williams, 33, of Madison, has since pleaded guilty to burglary and complicity to burglary. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison by Judge Joseph Gibson.

Santos, 49, of Painesville, last week. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 4.