A 23-year-old Vancouver man pleaded guilty today to burglarizing a Battle Ground home Sept. 24 and trafficking stolen property.
Samuel A. Scory will be sentenced April 12 by Clark County Superior Court Judge Daniel Stahnke.
Scory and Kirk M. Hernandez Sr., 42, who is accused of murdering Matthew Clark on Oct. 1, were allegedly accomplices in the burglary. Guns stolen in the burglary were allegedly the cause of a dispute that prompted Clark’s murder, according to court documents.
They stole numerous firearms, night vision goggles, a sheriff’s badge and other items from the home, according to the documents.
Scory also was accused of burglaries Sept. 19 in Vancouver and Oct. 16 in Camas. The Camas burglary made national news because of a quick-thinking 10-year-old girl who was inside the home at the time and called 911.
Scory didn’t plead guilty to those crimes but would have been put on trial for them, had he not struck a plea bargain.
He pleaded guilty to trafficking a Taurus .357 revolver, the same kind of gun stolen in the Sept. 19 Vancouver burglary.
His attorney, George Marlton, said Scory made an “Alford” plea, which means he believes he is not guilty but acknowledges that the prosecution has evidence that could convict him in a trial and is pleading guilty to avoid a higher sentence.
