A 36-year-old Maryland man convicted of stealing copper wiring throughout the former Lunenburg Middle School building has had a year of his sentence revoked for failure to pay for damage from the theft.

David Richard Fayer, Jr. had one year of a suspended sentence revoked recently in Lunenburg County Circuit Court, a release from the Lunenburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office cited. Fayer was convicted in 2010 on two counts of burglary and grand larceny resulting from the theft of copper wiring throughout the building formerly used as the county middle school building on Route 40 and a residential school for foster children known as Concept One Academies. Along with another man and woman as accomplices, the release cited that they caused a loss and damages to the building of approximately $300,000. Fayer, the release noted, had made payments of only $117.36 since his release from prison in March 2017, having served seven years.

The release noted his co-defendants, John Kenneth Barnett and Goldie Lynn Bailey, who cooperated with the investigation, served four years and three and a half years, respectively. They are also responsible for payments of restitution, and are currently in default and will be pursued, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Clement. Clement said in the release Fayer was perceived as the ringleader and less cooperative. Barnett and Bailey were said to be more cooperative with police, and were willing to testify against Fayer.

Goldie Bailey married David Fayer after the arrests, but before trial, while he was being held in jail, but was still willing to testify for the Commonwealth. After serving his current sentence of one year, the release noted Fayer will still be under supervised probation, good behavior for 40 years, warrantless searches, and staying out of Lunenburg County. At the time of the trial, Theresa Garr, owner of Concept One Academies said she had consulted an electrical contractor and has been told that commercial re-wiring of the large building (55,000 square feet) would easily cost more than $1 million.

Other damage would require replacement of all water pipes, transformers, electrical boxes, repair or replacement of 46 window air conditioning units, replacement of 25 kick plates and door knobs to interior doors, replacement of drain covers, replacement of flush valves, replacement of flashing on roof, replacement of sections of drop ceiling (approximately 12,000 square feet), repair to some masonry walls, cleanup costs, and other repairs and replacements. Garr had purchased the buildings from the county for $525,000 in 2006 and made improvements and used the facilities for residential placement of foster care children until October 2008. The larger building and the tract of land upon which it is situated was appraised by the county for tax purposes at $4.2 million. In 2009 the county lowered the value to $2.3 million. After damage and deterioration, on Feb. 28, 2009, the smaller building on the other tract of land was auctioned off to a high bidder for the amount of $25,000. It had been originally assessed by the county at $1.25 million, the release cited.