Real-life Perry Mason pleads guilty to $110K jewelry theft

Associated Press

NEWPORT, Vt. (AP) — This Perry Mason has pleaded guilty and been convicted.

Perry Mason of Hardwick, Vermont — not to be confused with the fictional television criminal defense lawyer played by Raymond Burr — pleaded guilty Thursday to breaking into a Greensboro jewelry store in 2014 and stealing $110,000 worth of items.

The Caledonian Record reports (http://bit.ly/2jMxG6I) the 48-year-old Mason received a sentence of two to 30 years, most of it suspended. Before reaching a plea agreement, Mason had been facing up to life in prison as a habitual offender with three or more prior felony convictions, including burglaries.

Mason was arrested after some of the jewelry was sold to a Burlington pawn shop. The shop owner recognized it and alerted police. Since then, two other men have been charged with possessing stolen property.

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Information from: The Caledonian-Record, http://www.caledonianrecord.com