All 10 men implicated in a local burglary ring have pleaded guilty in Buchanan County Circuit Court after Justin M. Hughes and Jeremy W. Hayden entered their pleas Thursday.

According to prosecutors and St. Joseph police detectives, the ring was responsible for 20 to 25 burglaries earlier this year and targeted buildings that contained high-end electronics — from churches and schools to businesses and residences.

Mr. Hughes, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree burglary for the break-ins at Central High School and St. Francis Xavier School. Mr. Hayden, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary for the break-in at Central. Mr. Hayden, who prosecutors allege was involved with three of the burglaries, faces a second count of burglary in front of Judge Weldon Judah. The trial setting in that case is slated for next Thursday.

Judge Dan Kellogg scheduled both Mr. Hughes and Mr. Hayden’s sentencings for Dec. 10.

Alexander McNutt, 23, received his sentence Thursday as well, for his role in the Central burglary that netted four LCD projectors and two laptops valued at $6,500. Mr. Kellogg suspended imposition of the sentence, gave the defendant five years of probation and ordered him to pay restitution of $150 a month. Mr McNutt will serve 120 days of shock time in the county jail, starting today, and then must abide by a curfew.

While Timothy McCoy, 19 (one of the ringleaders, according to prosecutors), received a 15-year sentence from Mr. Kellogg last week, the judge noted Mr. McNutt’s involvement was limited to the one incident and the defendant had no prior felonies.

“I’m giving you a great opportunity here because of your limited involvement,” Mr. Kellogg told the defendant. “But I’m also going to have very short patience, so don’t try it.”

Mr. McNutt appeared in a white shirt and tie and black slacks, and was represented by private attorney James Nadolski. The defendant’s voice wavered as he told the court, “This was a moment of stupidity. There is no excuse for it. I have regretted it ever since I’ve done it, and I want to make amends.”

The defendant said he currently works at Triumph Foods and lives with his parents, who were present for the sentencing.

Meanwhile, Ron Holliday, the first assistant to the prosecutor who has handled all of these cases, filed additional charges this week against the other alleged ringleader, Robert Manassero, 23. Mr. Manassero already pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary in the second degree, but Mr. Holliday filed two other charges of burglary and two felony charges of theft/stealing when he heard the defendant was trying to post bond before his Dec. 10 sentencing. Mr. Manassero has been in custody since June 7.

“I became apprehensive about what his motivations were,” Mr. Holliday told the News-Press.

The defendant and his brother, Mr. McCoy, fled to California when they originally heard police were investigating them. The pair, who lived in the house where the burglars stashed the stolen goods before selling them on the Web site Craigslist or to friends, eventually returned to St. Joseph but never turned themselves in. Police arrested them at the Motel 6 on Frederick Boulevard.

The additional charges stem from burglaries of the Grace Evangelical Church in March and the home of Pat Robb, a circuit judge in Buchanan County, in April. The suspects stole two flat screen TVs valued at $1,000 total from the church and numerous electronics from Judge Robb’s house, valued at a total of $3,583.

Mr. Manassero will be arraigned before Judge Ron Taylor on those new charges this morning.

R.J. Cooper can be reached at rjcooper@npgco.com.