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Long Prison Term For Norristown Burglar Under Pa. 'Three Strikes' Rule

By Brad Segall

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A career criminal who has a string of convictions all across Pennsylvania will spend at least 25 years behind bars after being convicted of burglarizing a Norristown home last year.

A Montgomery County judge today sentenced Frank Roselli to 25 to 50 years in state prison under Pennsylvania's "three strikes" law.

The 44-year-old Norristown man has now been convicted of three violent home burglaries -- burglaries that took place while someone was inside the house.  The other two were in the '80s and '90s in Delaware and Dauphin counties.

Montgomery County prosecutor John Walko says it was important to get Roselli off the streets.

"I was confident that if he was to be released he would continue to do violent offenses -- burglaries, robberies, assaults, as he's been doing for the last 26 years," Walko told KYW Newsradio today.

In the Norristown case, the homeowner arrived home to find Roselli holding a suitcase and valuables.  The homeowner chased Roselli through the house and then around the block with a hockey stick until police arrived.

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