A man, who broke into churches around the Upstate, will be spending the next eight years in jail for his sin.

Richard Campbell, 54, of 110 Greenridge Drive, Moore, pleaded guilty in Newberry County General Sessions Court last week to breaking into four local churches in April 2007. Musical and electronic sound equipment were mainly the items taken from the sanctuaries.

Campbell was sentenced to 10 years in prison; suspended to eight years in prison and two years probation.

In May 2007, Campbell was arrested after breaking into the four Newberry County churches, plus another 20-some places of worship in surrounding counties.

Campbell was charged with multiple counts of burglary in Newberry, Spartanburg, Saluda and Laurens counties, and the number of charges is expected to grow. In Newberry, Campbell is charged with burglarizing Chappells Baptist Church in Chappells and Flint Hill Baptist, Cedar Grove Baptist and Grace Baptist churches in Whitmire.

After the string of church burglaries in the Midlands and Upstate, officers reasoned the crimes were linked. The Newberry, Spartanburg, Saluda and Laurens sheriff's offices began working together to solve the cases.

A tip leading to Campbell's arrest came when Spartanburg County officers received information about a van believed to be used in the burglaries. Authorities searched Campbell's home and found items missing from several churches.