Man gets 2 years for burglary

4/10/2014

A Toledo man who started a fire in his cell at the Lucas County jail has been sentenced to two years in prison for the burglary that put him in jail.

George Papuchike, 33, of 340 S. Reynolds Rd. pleaded guilty to burglary Feb. 25 for breaking into a house in the 200 block of Segur Avenue and stealing a flat-screen TV Dec. 9. He said he thought the house was abandoned and he sought copper for scrap.

While Papuchike asked for “help” rather than prison, Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Myron Duhart said Tuesday he could not in good conscience let him back out.

Papuchike’s attorney, James Popil, said he was not prosecuted for the fire.