Evening star., 1950-11-29
Sentenced Man
Clears Prisoner
In Safe Theft
Attorney Hopes to
Free Client Serving
3-to-o-Yeor Term

A few minutes after he was
sentenced to 20 years IN the
Maryland Penitentiary, a Wash
1ngton man last night signed a
statement absolving another man,
now serving time in the District
Jail for safecracking.
While handcuffed to a COM
panion who also received a o.
year sentence in Prince Georges
Circuit Court, Donald M. Prem
dergast, 36, penned his admission
to participation in a safe job at
a District storage company last
March.
Ernest N. White, who formerly
lived in a rooming house in the
300 block of Eighth street N. w.,
now is serving concurrent 3-to-9
year sentences for HOUSEKEEPING
and larceny at the Standard
Transfer & storage Co.. Fourth
and Bryant streets NE.
In answering a list of type
written questions prepared by At
torney Phillip A. w. Harris,
Prendergast said White was not
involved in the crime in which
$1,000 in checks and $1,000 in
cash were taken early on the
morning of March "a. Prendergast
wrote "yes" or mo" answers in
ink, then signed his name in the
presence of witnesses.
Checks In Whites Room.
White. in whose room police
found the checks from the storage
company safe, was convicted and
sentenced in District Court on
July Z. .s
Prendergast's statement de-
clared that he entered the storage
company. took the contents of the
safe and hid the checks in Whites
room. He answered affirmatively
q question of whether he earlier
had borrowed a leather jacket
from White. Mr.. Harris said the
jacket also figured in the case.
Mr.. Harris, who is colored, hopes
the statement by Prendergast will
clear his client.
In the Maryland court yester-
day. Prendergast and Kermit r.
Judd, jr., 26, of the 500 block of
Sixty-fourth avenue, Capitol
Heights, Md, were given the o.
year sentences by Judge John B.
Gray, jr. Prendergast of the 500
block of Third street NV, pleaded
guilty to Notwithstanding and
larceny charges at the Cheverly
and Hyattsyille TheaterS and the
Crossroads Restaurant on the
morning of June 10. Judd pleaded
not guilty. -
Had Attempted Escape.
A jury found Judd guilty of the
same charges. Judge Gray, in a
separate trial without a jury, con-
victed the pair of attempting to
escape from the Upper Marlboro
Jail in July. Judge Grey, how
ever, found them not guilty of
store breaking and larceny at the
Quonset Hut on June 6.
Prendergast, who had main
tanned he was not guilty of the
crimes until his surprise change
of plea, when the trial opened
Monday, testified Judd was not
with him when he entered the
three places. He refused to iden-
tify the man he said was his COM
panion. Judd's wife Teck. 81. tes-
titled her husband was at home
at the time Her story was sup
ported by her sister-in-law, Mrs.
Phyllis L. Judd.
FBI Agent j. A. Jevons, how
ever. testified that a laboratory
analysis of clothes Judd was
wearing when he and Prender-
CAST were arrested nea1 the Cross
roads Restaurant shortly after
the breakins connected Judd with
that crime.
6 Years for Parole Break.
Judd also must serve 6 years
IN another jurisdiction as a parole
breaker, and. Prendergast faces
7H2 years in Washington State for
the same reason.
In lengthy lecture, Judge Gray
pointed out the men could be
given a total of rs years each. He
then gave them 10 years apiece on
each Of two charges, suspended
sentence in the third charge and
imposed two-year sentences for
the attempted jail break. He
specified that all the sentences
would run consecutively.
Judge Gray said he had sus-
pended one sentence so that he
could send them back to jail if
they were paroled or came back
into a court under his jurisdiction.
Judge Grey commended the
police officials responsible for the
arrest and conviction of the ynen