SNOW HILL — A Berlin man pleaded guilty this week to a September 2013 break-in at an Ocean City miniature golf course office and was sentenced to 15 years in jail, all but 10 of which were suspended.
On Tuesday, Clayton Entwistle, now 24, of Berlin, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary for the September 2013 break-in at the Paradise Cove mini-golf course in Ocean City and was also found to be in violation of parole for a subsequent case. While the state recommended a sentence of 10 years with the guidelines suggesting a range from 10 to 15 years, Judge Thomas C. Groton sentenced Enwistle to the maximum 15 years and then suspended all but 10 years. Entwistle was ordered to pay over $1,800 in restitution to the victim in the case and was placed on supervised probation for two years upon his release.
According to the statement of charges, on Sept. 20, 2013, Ocean City Police were dispatched to the Paradise Cove mini-golf facility for a reported break-in. OCPD officers met with the golf course manager, who had noticed pry marks and a large hole from a backroom wall into the office. The safe had been opened and the cash register was opened and a large amount of cash in various denominations had been stolen.
OCPD detectives viewed video surveillance and recognized the suspect as a former employee of the golf course, later identified as Entwistle. Detectives then interviewed Entwistle and showed him the videotape, after which the suspect admitted the break-in and apologized.
According to the statement of charges, the amount of property damage at the golf course came to around $750, while the amount stolen totaled over $1,000. The state pointed out Entwistle had a prior record including a first-degree burglary conviction and a second-degree assault conviction, the latter of which resulted in a violation of probation.
Enwistle’s attorney said her client had spent much of the last year attempting to turn around his life including voluntary enrollment in an anger management program, courses taken at Wor-Wic Community College in the hopes of securing a job. The defense attorney urged the judge to consider leniency in sentencing.
However, based on the defendant’s past record, Groton sentenced Entwistle to 15 years with all but 10 suspended and urged him to find a way to move past his criminal past.
“Once you’re released and out, it’s going to be hard to live by,” he said. “If you keep coming back to court, you’re going to keep going back to the penitentiary.”