A 61-year-old Norfolk man is headed to prison after admitting to vandalizing a local church and burglarizing a nearby business just weeks apart.
William Delanor Stone Jr. was sentenced Friday to five years in prison, with six months of supervision after his release, following guilty pleas in two separate break-ins that took place earlier this year in Olde Huntersville and Ghent.
What Happened
Back on February 12, Stone used a metal pipe to smash his way into a church tucked inside a small strip mall on Church Street. Once inside, he stole camera gear and musical instruments. Security footage captured a man in red pants and sneakers, using a wheelchair and wearing a blue puffer jacket, red hat, and hoodie — later identified as Stone.
A Norfolk detective shared the footage internally, but Stone wasn’t identified until five days later, when an officer spotted him nearby on A Avenue. He matched the video exactly. When police confronted him, Stone admitted to stealing from the church — but denied breaking in.
Though he was originally held without bond, a General District Court judge later released him over the objections of prosecutors.
Then, in early March, Stone struck again — this time breaking the front window of a small business in Ghent’s Colonial Avenue corridor. The same detective reviewed the store’s security video and recognized Stone instantly. He was wearing the same outfit from the church burglary. Police tracked him down again and arrested him.
The Legal Outcome
Stone took plea deals in both cases.
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For the Ghent break-in, he pleaded guilty to felony burglary and agreed to pay restitution.
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For the church incident, the Commonwealth reduced his original burglary charge to felony vandalism in exchange for his guilty plea.
Judge Robert B. Rigney finalized the sentence on October 3, following review of Stone’s pre-sentence report. His sentence lands between the midpoint and high end of the recommended guidelines.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi had this to say after the hearing:
“Mr. Stone committed two break-ins within a few days and a few blocks of one another. At the age of 61, Mr. Stone knows better. I hope that Mr. Stone makes use of his time in prison and the resources available there and on post-release supervision to address the root causes of his behavior.”