Two men were sentenced to two years less one day on probation Friday for their roles in what police said was a robbery of $5,000 worth of vape cartridges.
James Walter Ryan, 23, of Penn Township, and Kasean Lamar Dillard, 21, of Pittsburgh, both previously pleaded guilty to lesser charges of simple assault and theft. Robbery, aggravated assault and related charges were dismissed.
State police reported that Dillard, Ryan and Jeremy Michael Adams Jr., 21, of Monroeville, robbed a Hempfield man of the cartridges on Feb. 27, 2023 at a West Hills Drive apartment. He was hospitalized after being found with an open wound on the back of his head.
The suspects used a pistol and machete to beat the man up, according to court papers. The cartridges are filled with an oil containing THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, and can be used with an electronic cigarette-like device to smoke.
“I’ve accepted my part in what I did,” Dillard told Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio. “I’m working on trying to do my best, I made a mistake.”
“I’m sorry for doing all this and I just hope to do better with my life,” Ryan said.
Adams’ case is still pending. A status conference is scheduled in June.
