A Syracuse University engineering student who was arrested for burglarizing two South Campus apartments last year pled guilty to burglary Tuesday. But if he stays out of trouble, he will be able to avoid any jail time.

Erwing Augustin, 20, pled guilty to felony third-degree burglary under the agreement that he will be sentenced to interim probation for one year. If he follows the terms of his probation, he will be guaranteed a reduction to criminal trespass.

Augustin, a citizen of Haiti, faces the possibility of deportation after the burglary conviction, said Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti, who presided over the case. But if his charges are reduced, he will be less likely to face deportation.

Augustin was arrested and charged last February with two counts of burglary and two counts of petit larceny for burglarizing two apartments, one on the 200 block and another on the 400 block of Winding Ridge Road.  Syracuse police accused Augustin and Bradley Valik — also an engineering student at SU — of stealing a 37-inch Panasonic flat-screen TV, a 37-inch Insignia flat-screen TV, an Xbox, a set of Xbox controllers, Playstation games and an amplifier. In total, the items were worth more than $2,100.

Valik pled guilty to felony third-degree burglary on Jan. 10 and was also sentenced to interim probation for one year. Valik’s sentencing is scheduled for March 7.

The burglaries took place shortly after two ex-Syracuse football players, Markus Pierce-Brewster and Davon Walls, burglarized an apartment on the 400 block of Winding Ridge Road. The pair was accused of stealing a 39-inch Magnavox TV, two iPods, an Xbox and Xbox controllers — worth about $950 total.

Pierce-Brewster and Walls have since pled guilty. They are due back in court on March 21.

Augustin’s lawyer, Laurin Haddad, didn’t immediately return a phone call Tuesday afternoon.

Published on March 5, 2014 at 2:04 am

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu