Crime & Safety

George Washington Gets Jail for 100 Burglaries

George Washington of Allentown had been charged along with his brother in more than 100 burglaries in five counties, including several in South Whitehall.

Burglar George Washington, who police said had broken into  in South Whitehall and other municipalities over 15 months, was sentenced Wednesday to 12 1/2 to 60 months in jail, according to reports on lehighvalleylive.com and The Morning Call.

Washington, 29, of Allentown, had been charged in 104 burglaries and 12 attempted burglaries in Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties from October 2009 through January 2011.

Washington's brother, Angel Miguel Vargas, 31, also of Allentown,  to 20 to 40 years in jail for his role.

Find out what's happening in Palmer-Forkswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Among the locations were businesses in Salisbury, South Whitehall, Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, Bethlehem, Upper Saucon and Lower Nazareth townships, Bethlehem and Coopersburg.

Washington pleaded guilty to the burglaries in a negotiated plea in early July. 

Find out what's happening in Palmer-Forkswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He told the court he took responsibility for the crimes, but later laughed and shook his head when the lengthy sentence, including restitution, was imposed, according to the reports. Lehigh County Judge Maria Dantos called Washington "a danger" to the community.

A prosecutor said he had been committing burglaries since age 12 or 13.

The brothers had faced charges for a  at 4141 W. Tilghman St., South Whitehall, on Sept. 5, 2010, where $5,083 worth of cigarettes and $379 worth of smokeless tobacco was stolen. The men had been accused of committing seven other burglaries or attempted burglaries in South Whitehall, including at Village West CleanersDrop N Clean, and Studio 2 Hair Salon.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Palmer-Forks