Two Washington County Men Sentenced

Judge Gary Gilman sentenced two men on felony charges Tuesday morning. Michael Lowe, 29 of Burgettstown was sentenced to two consecutive 1 ½ to 5 year jail terms on felony counts of burglary. This, after initially facing more than 160 different charges stemming from a crime spree in the Burgettstown, Smith and Hanover Township area. Lowe was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $66,000 to roughly a dozen victims. Lowe will make application to the state’s Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive program, allowing him to reduce his jail term based on good behavior during his sentence. Secondly, Thomas McCort was sentenced on one felony count of possession of child pornography. The 68 year old South Strabane Township man was found to have had more than 1000 images of child pornography on a laptop when police seized that computer back in October of 2019. McCort will serve two years of probation and will have to perform 100 hours of community service in the first year of his sentence. He will not be allowed contact with minors without adult supervision and he will be able to possess a computer as long as the Adult Probation Office has unfettered access to it.