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ST. MATTHEWS, S.C. An Orangeburg man shot during the February home invasion of a World War II veteran was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea Tuesday.
Christopher Aiken, 24, of 2088 Muriel Street, was originally charged with first-degree burglary, a charge that after plea negotiations was reduced to second-degree burglary.
"I'm going to commit you to the state Department of Corrections for a period of 15 years," Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein said as Aiken held his head down.
The guilty plea came after two days of negotiations and reconsiderations surrounding the plea. Initially, Aiken was to offer his plea on Monday.
The plea hearing was rescheduled several times while details were worked out. The case would go before the bench, be withdrawn, then go before the bench again.
It finally went through around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Goodstein voiced concerns about the agreement to reduce the charge from first- to second-degree burglary.
"I think that's substantial, substantial," Goodstein said.
However, the case against the Muriel Street man proceeded until the sentence was on the books.
The cases against two co-defendants, Joseph Randolph, 23, of Orangeburg and Lakeisha Rice, 23, of Denmark are still pending.
The charges against Aiken came after the Feb. 20 invasion of the home of Ted Jackson, an 80-year-old World War II veteran and gun enthusiast.
It was about 2 a.m. on that date when the shooting occurred. Jackson said his dog began barking, alerting him that something was amiss.
As Jackson turned on a light, he grabbed a pistol. Seconds later, a man carrying an AK-47 kicked open his bedroom door.
At a bond hearing for Aiken earlier this year, Jackson said he's faced Japanese cannon bigger than a machine gun.
He fired at the intruder, striking the man in the upper shoulder.
Aiken was treated for the gunshot wound and later released.
When told of Aiken's sentence, Jackson said, "Yeah, that's OK, that's good. I'm glad that part's over."
However, Jackson wonders if it really is over. About two weeks ago, someone broke into his home while he was away. He wonders if that latest break-in isn't related to the February shooting.
Since then, the 80-year-old has installed steel plating around his entry ways to bolster the doors -- and make them bulletproof.
"You can run a Jeep through there and you wouldn't get in," Jackson said.
Obviously a no-nonsense individual, Jackson says that given the same circumstances, he'd do it all over again.
"Somebody's coming in my house? You dadblasted right I would," Jackson said. "If my little dog hadn't woke me up, it could have been a lot different. (A deputy) said to me, 'These fellows were going to kill you that night.'"
T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.