Career burglar sentenced to eight years

A burglar who targeted several homes after being released from jail because of a filing error last year was recently sentenced to 96 months in prison. Charles R. Cope, 33, was convicted in Spokane County Superior Court of 22 felony counts of residential burglary, first- and second-degree theft, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substances. Judge Michael Price sentenced Cope on Friday, according to court records. Cope had been at Geiger Corrections Center since his arrest in August for a string of burglaries in a Spokane Valley neighborhood. His 18-year criminal history includes eight convictions for residential burglary as well as convictions for second-degree burglary and possession of stolen property.