Dec 25, 2010 By The 2 min read

A Masontown man who left his four children home alone while he and his girlfriend went to a methadone clinic earlier this year was sentenced to serve up to one year in prison. Robert William Fowler, 34, was charged in February with four counts of endangering the welfare of children, as was his girlfriend Robin Lynn Harbarger, 33, of Masontown.

Like Fowler, Harbarger pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to six to 12 months in prison.

Police said the couple left Fowler’s 10-year-old daughter in charge of her 3- and 8-year-old brothers and a 16-month-old sister on Feb. 22. Authorities were called to the home on Harvey Avenue after they received a call from someone who was concerned because the children were home alone.

When police arrived, they found the children in what they described as “deplorable” conditions, and discovered that Fowler and Harbarger had taken the bus to a local methadone clinic.

Harbarger was sentenced in August and already has been paroled.

Fowler was also sentenced to one to two years in prison in an unrelated burglary case. In that case, Masontown police charged that he stole various items – including several cans of beer and an empty bottle of alcohol – from a home on South Main Street on April 20.

Police found Fowler near the home carrying a bag that was filled with the stolen items. He was wearing on his underwear, police said.

Fayette County Judge Ralph C. Warman sentenced Fowler last week.