Brooke Frances Strope

During Friday’s session of Wetzel County Circuit Court, Judge Mark A. Karl agreed to a reduction in sentence for Brooke Frances Strope, 21, of 533 Market Street, Clarington, who appeared alongside her attorney, Roger Weese.

On Dec. 16, 2011, Strope pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny, a lesser included offense to count two of her indictment, and was sentenced to the West Virginia Penitentiary for Women for a period of one to three years with credit for 110 days served. Per the terms of the plea agreement, the state had agreed to not oppose a sentence reduction after Strope successfully completed one year of her sentence. On Friday, it was learned that Strope had served a little over one year in prison.

Prosecuting Attorney Timothy Haught agreed to a reduction in sentence, stating that Strope had been taking classes at the prison, as well as working. Haught said the state recommended that Strope continue her sentence through two years of probation.

Weese stated that his client would live with her brother and the man who helped raise her. They will help keep her away from the area and, thus, away from associating with those with whom she had been in trouble.

Strope had received a two-count indictment from the September 2011 grand jury charging her with one count of the felony offense of conspiracy to commit grand larceny and grand larceny for allegedly conspiring amongst her co-defendants and for knowingly, intentionally, unlawfully, and feloniously stealing, taking, and carrying away goods having a cumulative value of more than $1,000 belonging to Wal-Mart Store No. 2684 in New Martinsville with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of said goods.

During her plea in December 2011, Strope had admitted that she and her co-defendants attempted to steal items from the New Martinsville Wal-Mart store to then sell them to buy drugs.