Barberton Man Found Guilty of Attempted Theft

A jury in Judge Kimbler's courtroom returned a guilty verdict Thursday, January 13, 2010, against Virgile R. Snyder, 44, of Ashland Court in Barberton, on a charge of Attempted Theft. Although Mr. Snyder was originally indicted for a fifth degree felony, the jury also found that the value of the property involved in the attempted theft was less than $500.00. As a result of the that finding, the attempted theft became a second degree misdemeanor.

During the trial, Mr. Snyder maintained that he thought he had permission to take scrap material from a factory in Wadsworth. An employee of the company testified that while Mr. Snyder had been told that he could take scrap pallets, he was never given permission to take the property involved in the attempted theft. During the trial it came out that Mr. Snyder, who runs a business where he finds scrap and then resells it, had a conviction for theft for taking property in Walton Hills.

Following the jury's verdict, Judge Kimbler ordered a pre-sentence investigation and will impose sentence at a later date. Judge Kimbler also continued Mr. Snyder's bond pending the completion of the pre-sentence investigation report.