By: Chad Franzen Posted at: 10/24/2009 10:44 AM
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A Nebraska man who vanished for a time with his wife and children has changed his plea to guilty in the theft of a fire department truck in South Dakota's Pennington County.
Matthew Schade entered the plea to grand theft on Friday. In exchange, charges of burglary and petty theft were thrown out.
Schade had pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.
His wife, Rowenna Schade, also appeared in court. She pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony for failing to report the truck theft.
Their sentencings are scheduled for November. Both face prison time.
The truck stolen from the Silver City fire department was found in Antelope County, Neb., a few days before the Schades turned up in April. One of the family's vehicles was abandoned near Silver City.
