Cape Girardeau man receives five years probation

A 25-year-old man accused of stealing more than $4,400 in goods from a rural garage and shed pleaded guilty to the crimes Monday and was sentenced to five years probation.

Circuit Judge William Syler handed down the probation on a suspended imposition sentence to Aaron L. Jenkins of Cape Girardeau. Jenkins pleaded guilty to two counts of felony stealing. Two counts of felony burglary were dropped, a court clerk said.

Jenkins was accused of stealing several items from a garage at 1403 County Road 254 and a shed at 77 County Road 262 in Cape Girardeau County.

A co-defendant, Garrett Williams, 19, of Chaffee, Mo., pleaded guilty in December to two felony counts of theft and was also sentenced to five years probation on a suspended imposition sentence.

According to a probable cause statement, the two defendants were driving down the road about to run out of gas when Jenkins saw the home and suggested they search the garage for gasoline. Once inside, Jenkins decided to steal a weed-trimmer, two grinders, tools, two plastic gas cans and several gallons of gas. Jenkins made two or three trips to the garage while Williams waited in the truck, police said.

After driving off, Williams and Jenkins spotted several gas tanks and sheds. Inside one shed, he found a go-cart and a gear reduction starter that he stole.

More than $4,400 in goods were taken, according to the probable cause statement.