NORTHAMPTON — A South Hadley man was sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison after admitting in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday that he stole more than $100,000 in goods from antique businesses in Northampton and Deerfield in 2023, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s office.

Steven Skea, 65, pleaded guilty before Judge James M. Manitsas to two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, two counts of larceny in a building and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with thefts at The Collector Galleries, 11 Bridge St., Northampton on Aug, 20, 2023 and Whitney Hill Antiques at the Gables, 250 Greenfield Road, Deerfield on Oct. 28, 2023.

In the Northampton break-in, Skea stole an estimated $100,000 worth of jewelry and other items, and two months later he broke into the Deerfield business, taking an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 worth of jewelry, rare coins and other items. The primary victim in the Deerfield incident is a Hatfield resident who was selling gold jewelry.

The sentence was jointly recommended by Northwestern Assistant District Attorneys Joseph Webber and Alexa Pascucci and defense attorney Alfred Chamberland of Easthampton. Webber and Pascucci argued that Skea’s lengthy criminal history, as well as the severity and financial hardship he inflicted on the business, and the danger he posed to the community by illegally possessing a firearm, warranted the state prison sentence.

The investigation leading to Skea’s arrest was a collaborative effort between Deerfield and Northampton Police, along with the Northwestern District Anti-Crime Task Force and South Hadley Police, using various investigative techniques to identify Skea as the perpetrator of these offenses.

According to the district attorney’s office, Skea was cooperative with investigators when they searched his home, leading police to multiple locations within the home and garage and identifying numerous pieces of jewelry and coins that he had taken from the antique businesses. Also found was the illegal semi-automatic pistol that Skea did not have a license to own.