Guilty plea earns Hagerstown man six years in jail for burglary on Winter Street

A Hagerstown man could serve six years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to a count of first-degree burglary after first being charged with home invasion of a West End residence, according to Washington County Circuit Court records.

Judge Brett Wilson sentenced Stacy Andre Lashawn Brown, 23, to 12 years in prison, suspending all but six of those years, according to court records. Brown gets credit for 403 days served in jail. When he gets out of prison he will be on supervised probation for two years.

Defense attorney Daniel Mahone said he believes the sentence is fair and is hopeful the court will allow Brown to attend an inpatient long-term treatment facility for his drug and alcohol issues in lieu of spending all that time in jail.

"He's a young man and, like so many young people, he lost his way for a second with drugs and alcohol and ended up in jail," Mahone said in a Tuesday phone interview.

"He knows that he needs treatment and he's gotten some treatment while in the jail," Mahone said.

Through the plea deal, the other charges were dismissed, according to court records. Those included a home invasion charge as well as third-degree burglary, second-degree assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony.

First-degree burglary can have a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, according to Maryland charging language.

Defendant fortunate to be alive

Hagerstown police officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress with guns at a Winter Street home just before 10 p.m. on July 14, 2021. The 911 caller said there were three men in the home with weapons, according to court records.

A few minutes later, an officer saw a person later identified as Brown run out of the residence and head south on Winter Street, where he dropped a handgun and a Nintendo Switch, court records said.

Brown attempted to retrieve the gun, but left it and continued running after he saw the officer with his weapon pointed at him. The officer picked up the gun and the foot chase continued until Brown was apprehended by other officers under a back porch on Elizabeth Street, court records said.

Mahone said Brown is fortunate because it could have ended worse for him in that encounter because some police officers might have decided Brown was a danger and shot Brown when he turned around to try to pick up the gun.

"We're glad that didn't happen," Mahone said.

Hagerstown woman forced to open her home

Brown was found to have "multiple wads of cash" in his pants, a gold necklace with a cross, a Super Bowl ring and a small bag which Brown said was "only weed," court records said.

The woman who lives at the Winter Street home told police she had just returned home when three males pointed guns at her and forced her to open her door. She said one of them struck her in the face, but she didn't know which one, court records said.

She said she didn't get a good look at the men, who were wearing masks, according to court records.

A neighbor's surveillance camera showed the three males walking on Winter Street before the woman's car is seen driving down the street at high speed and then backing to the area of her residence. After a few minutes, one of the males opens the passenger door and appears to put his hand holding a gun inside the car, court records said.

The video shows another male opening the driver's door and getting the woman out before they proceed to the front door. The video also shows two of the males exiting the porch and walking in different directions along Winter Street while the third exits the home and begins running as the first officer arrives, court records said.

At police headquarters, Brown initially denied any involvement in the incident, but later said he committed the home invasion and dropped the gun when he saw police, according to court records.

Brown said he didn't know the people who lived there and that he was homeless, needed money and was looking for anything of value in the home to steal. He acknowledged he went into the house holding a gun in his right hand while pushing the victim inside with his left, court records said.

Brown denied taking anything or knowing the other suspects, and said he acted alone, court records said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown man pleads to burglary in 2021 home invasion