Woman pleads guilty in Conewago Twp. ATM theft

May 17--An Orrtanna woman pleaded guilty for her role in a Conewago Township ATM theft in Adams County Court on May 15, while an alleged co-defendant's plea date was continued.

Jennifer Mae-Lou Keller, 19, of Orrtanna, pleaded guilty to burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary for helping her boyfriend, Imhotep Abdullah Muhammad, and K'Shawn Lamar Dykes steal $3,040 last December from an ATM machine in The Little Red School House Restaurant in the 5700 block of Hanover Road.

Keller submitted an open plea, which gives Adams County President Judge Michael George full sentencing authority. Keller's sentence is pending a pre-sentence investigation, George said.

Keller could face up to 40 years in prison and a $50,000 fine, but her legal counsel, Gettysburg attorney Roy Keefer, said a plea deal with a lesser sentence could be reached before her July 17 sentence date.

Muhammad, 24, of Harrisburg, also appeared in court on May 15, but his plea date was continued to May 22 to give his legal counsel more time to review discovery evidence of recordings of telephone calls and statements from co-defendants.

Keller, who was an employee of the restaurant, told Muhammad and Dykes, 19, of Harrisburg, that one of the restaurant's windows was always left open and the building contained an ATM, according to court records.

On Dec. 2, the owner of the restaurant reported that a window was damaged and the ATM in the dining room was pried open and missing money, court records state. Muhammad, Dykes and Keller were arrested in January by Conewago Township Police.

Keller provided police with the information to charge Muhammad and Dykes, Keefer said.

As part of her sentence, Keller will have to pay $4,785 in restitution to the Donegal Insurance Group, $2,875 to the restaurant and $1,625 to Staff Music and Amusements. If all three are convicted, the restitution will be paid collectively among the three co-defendants, said Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner.

Dykes' plea date is scheduled for May 22.

Mark Walters covers Adams County for The Evening Sun. Contact him at 717-637-3736 ext. 147.

___

(c)2014 The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pa.)

Visit The Evening Sun (Hanover, Pa.) at www.eveningsun.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services