Man sentenced to state prison for Centre County burglary spree

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ)– A Bellefonte man who was responsible for numerous burglaries in Centre County will spend at least a decade behind bars.

Tre Estes-Stalnos, 22, was sentenced by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall to serve a minimum of 10 1/2 and a maximum of 21 years in state prison, according to the Centre County District Attorney’s Office. He received credit for 15 months served in Centre County Correctional Facility.

“The successful prosecution of Tre S. Estes-Stalnos resulted from cooperative investigations conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies,” First Assistant District Attorney Sean McGraw said in a statement.

Multiple law enforcement agencies partook in burglary investigations and one particular officer, Macy Neideigh of the Bellefonte Police Department, was praised by McGraw for her work that led to Estes-Stalnos’ arrest.

“Of all the dedicated officers involved, however, one stands out as particularly worthy of commendation:  Officer Macy Neideigh of the Bellefonte Police Department,” McGraw said.  “During a routine traffic stop for Vehicle Code violations, Officer Neideigh recognized features of both the driver and passenger as consistent with surveillance video images of the actors in the seven-month theft, burglary, and robbery crime spree, which had been disseminated in police circles.  Displaying exemplary presence of mind and judgment, Officer Neideigh elicited further information on the scene confirming her suspicions.  Officer Neidegh’s efforts established probable cause both for the arrest of the defendant as well as for a search of his residence.”

Part of Estes-Stalnos crime spree involved an armed robbery at the Econo Lodge in December 2021 where he threatened a person at gunpoint. He also burglarized two different Rite Aids in State College, and he stole around $4,500 worth of medication from one of them.

Estes-Stalnos was also ordered to pay over $16,000 in restitution, McGraw said.