Crime spree nets Ligonier man prison term

A Ligonier man will serve up to 12 years in prison for a string of thefts and burglaries from a Donegal Township banquet facility where he worked and surrounding properties.

Donald Bailey, 62, pleaded guilty Monday to charges in nine separate cases where police said he stole items from Stonehenge Lodge and other homes near the facility last April.

“I accept responsibility for my actions, and I ask the court for leniency. I just want to get this off the docket and be done with it today,” Bailey said.

Bailey was first arrested and charged with stealing a John Deere Gator utility vehicle from a shed at the lodge about a week after he was fired from working there and evicted from his temporary home on the property, police said. Bailey also stole lottery tickets and alcohol from a bridal shower being held at the facility and purchased alcohol and fuel from a local gas station using the Stonehenge business account, investigators said.

Bailey continued his crime spree when he stole items such as John Wayne statues, a bronze frog and a gun from nearby homes and was charged with illegal possession of stolen firearms, according to court records.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio ordered Bailey to serve nine concurrent sentences that will require him to serve at least six years in prison. Bailey also faces a potential five-year consecutive sentence for violating his state parole for prior offenses.

Bailey has long criminal history that dates to the 1980s. He served a seven- to 20-year prison sentence following 2004 robberies at an East Huntingdon convenience store and a Smithton beer distributor. Court records indicated he was released from jail in January 2022, just months before he was charged with the most recent burglaries and thefts.