An El Dorado man was sentenced to three years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections on Thursday after pleading guilty to charges including breaking and entering and theft of property.
Andrew Bryce Owens, 21, appeared before Judge Hamilton Singleton in 13th Circuit Division 1 court and pleaded guilty to the charges. Several other charges, including commercial burglary and forgery charges, were not prosecuted as part of the plea agreement.
According to the arrest affidavit available in court records, Owens was arrested in July after being charged in connection to the burglary of a dwelling in El Dorado while the owner was out of state.
According to court records, the homeowner was made aware of fraud on their account at a local bank. The fraud included six temporary checks totaling $1,550 presented at the bank by a person with an 'Arkansas drivers license with the name of Andrew Owens.' A Union County Sheriff's Office deputy made contact with the homeowner regarding the fraud report and was told the checks "had to have come from" the unoccupied dwelling as they "had not written any checks on the account in months."
Further investigation in June also revealed a $2,500 check removed from the mailbox of the same residence, allegedly modified, signed and cashed in Louisiana by Owens.
In July, a family member of the homeowner notified the Sheriff's Office that "someone had entered the residence and [taken] several items without permission."
The family member stated that they visited the residence following a week-long absence and found a door "forcefully opened" and items including two televisions and an engraved porch swing missing and a file cabinet opened with documents scattered.
The report goes on to state that during an interview with UCSO investigators, Owens stated that he "entered the residence on two separate occasions and on both incidences he had removed items from the house." Owens also, according to the report, admitted that he "knew about the checks being taken" but "only allowed people to sign his name to the checks" to cash them.
Owens pleaded guilty to the charges of breaking and entering connected to his alleged removal of a check from the victim's mailbox and theft of property related to the theft of the televisions and a tablet from the victim's residence. Both charges are Class D felonies, according to court records.
Singleton sentenced Owens to three years in the ADC following the guilty pleas.