Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 12, 1995 TAG: 9507130002
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHEBA WHEELER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Randall Cofske was convicted of grand larceny and statutory burglary in Roanoke County Circuit Court. He also was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of failure to appear in court.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mark Claytor said Cofske and two other Roanoke men stole 10 handguns and about $1,200 in jewelry, appliances and other items from the residence. One of the guns, a .357-caliber Magnum, turned up the following year in a New Jersey courthouse, where it was used to murder a police detective, John Sczyrek. The detective was shot in the head outside an Essex County courtroom where he was waiting to testify in a drug case.
The other two burglars are serving two-year sentences for their roles in the firearm theft. Cofske's prosecution was delayed once because he was serving time in Massachusetts for armed robbery and a second time when he did not appear in court Jan. 18.
Cofske will be sentenced Aug. 17. He will remain in jail pending sentencing.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***