Palo Seco resident Junior Long has been sentenced to a year in jail for sacrilege. The 57-year-old who told the court he was a drug addict, pleaded guilty to breaking into the Palo Seco Seventh Day Adventist Church in 2007 and stealing three basins and a surge protector. He was jailed by High Court judge Geoffrey Henderson, who gave him a reduced sentence after he spent five years in prison awaiting trial.
He said the maximum sentence for the offence was ten years and an appropriate sentence for Long would have been six years. However, he gave him gave him a five-year discount for his time in custody. Long broke into the church on November 9, 2007 and stole a surge protector, valued $50, and three basins, valued $150 each. The court heard he had 34 convictions. Henderson told Long he could not close his eyes to his long list of offences, many of which were breaking and entering.
