JONESBORO, Ark. — William Craig Lanier, 22, was placed on 18 months of probation after entering a negotiated guilty plea to felony breaking or entering in a case involving two leaf blowers that police said were stolen from a truck bed.
Lanier appeared Aug. 14 before Circuit Judge Randy Philhours, according to a sentencing order filed that day in Craighead County Circuit Court. Lanier entered the plea under Arkansas Code 16-93-301 et seq. The court deferred a finding or judgment of guilt while he serves probation. If Lanier successfully fulfills all terms and conditions of probation, the court will discharge him and dismiss the case without an adjudication of guilt. If he violates those conditions, the court may enter an adjudication of guilt and proceed as otherwise provided by law.
Lanier was ordered to pay $750 in restitution, a $150 fine, $150 in court costs and additional fees. Payments were set at $75 per month, and he must pay a $35 monthly probation fee. No jail or prison term was imposed.
Prosecutors dropped a related Class A misdemeanor charge of unlawful transfer of stolen property to a pawnshop.
The investigation began May 18 after Jonesboro police received a report that two leaf blowers valued at a combined $1,240 had been stolen from the bed of a truck at a residence.
The owner said the blowers were in the truck after work around 4 p.m. May 15. He noticed they were missing around 8 p.m. the following day but initially believed his employer had retrieved them. He learned May 18 that was not the case, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police said Lanier pawned one of the stolen blowers for $150 at a business in the 3200 block of East Nettleton Avenue around 3:32 p.m. May 16. Investigators obtained video that they said confirmed Lanier was the person who pawned it.
During an interview May 22, Lanier said he had purchased the blower through Facebook Marketplace for $250. Investigators said they could not verify that account, and Lanier’s timeline for the purchase changed from months earlier to weeks earlier and then five days earlier.
The affidavit says Lanier admitted lying during the interview and consented to a search of his cellphone.
Investigators said location data reviewed May 26 showed Lanier’s phone was near the victim’s residence at 12:55 p.m. May 16.
SHARE THIS STORY WITH OTHERS:
Discover more from NEA Report
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Be the first to comment