A Plum man accused of trying to kidnap an 11-year-old girl from Seven Springs Mountain Resort last year will serve up to 23 months in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Justin Louis Weber, 24, was charged with kidnapping, burglary, unlawful restraint and interference with the custody of children in the March 6, 2011 incident.
Somerset County prosecutors withdrew the first three charges in May in exchange for Weber's plea to interference with custody and criminal trespass.
Weber was accused of entering a hotel room at the resort in Seven Springs Borough at 1:15 a.m. and carrying the girl from her bed into a bathroom. The girl was able to break free and scared Weber away by screaming. She ran to a nearby room where her parents were sleeping.
Police said Weber left the room, but returned and was confronted by the girl's father. He fled, but later was found by security officers in a seventh-floor hallway.
Weber told police he accidentally entered the wrong room. He said he had been drinking throughout the night and misplaced a bottle of beer.
Police recovered the bottle on a counter in the suite rented by the Maryland family, near the bedroom the girl was sharing with her brother.
A hotel spokeswoman said at the time that Weber was staying with a registered guest at the hotel on a different floor.
Weber was banned from the resort, she said.
On Thursday Somerset County Common Pleas Judge John Cascio sentenced Weber to serve six to 23 months in the Somerset County Jail and a consecutive three years of supervised probation.
Weber is to have no contact with the victim or any child under 18 through work or volunteer service. He must undergo mental health and drug and alcohol evaluations, according to court records.
Family members who attended the sentencing released a statement on Thursday.
“It has been a very emotional day for our family and we are happy to finally have closure after 18 long months. Although we feel the sentencing was lenient, we are glad to see him incarcerated,” they said.
Mary Pickels is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-836-5401 or mpickels@tribweb.com.
