An Orcas Island man who a year ago helped a female friend break into a relative’s home and steal credit cards, cash and power tools will be allowed to undergo treatment for substance abuse in lieu of jail, after pleading no-contest to criminal trespass.

On July 27, Jason Allen Buehler, 26, pleaded no-contest, also known as an Alford plea, to one count of first-degree criminal trespass, a gross misdemeanor, which carries maximum penalties of one year in jail, a $5,000 fine, or both.

He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with 364 days suspended, given two years probation, and ordered to pay $850 in fines and fees, and to pay $1,400 in restitution.

According to court documents, a female friend of Buehler’s, Sierra Frank, told authorities following her recent conviction for residential burglary, a Class B felony, that he had taken part in the break-in and theft at the Deer Harbor home of a relative. She had earlier been banned from the house for reportedly using credit cards without the relative’s permission.

Following the burglary, footage from a surveillance camera at the Country Corner Store in Eastsound reportedly tied Frank to the use of a debit card that went missing following the June 2013 break-in. Authorities initially charged Buehler with residential burglary and third-degree theft, a gross misdemeanor. He failed to appear in court on the charges and reportedly in custody in a neighboring county at the time authorities were searching for him.

Under the sentence, he is required to be evaluated for alcohol and to follow all recommendation. The remainder of the suspended can be impose if he commits a crime while under probation.