A previously convicted felon was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to a burglary that prompted a brief manhunt last year.
Trevor Peret Richards, 26, who had remained in custody since his arrest Dec. 8, 2016, and was set to stand trial Tuesday, pleaded guilty to a felony count of residential burglary and was sentenced to the maximum of 20 years in prison, with 10 years suspended. Court costs and fees were expunged for time served.
According to the affidavit, on Dec. 8, shortly before noon, a resident in the 800 block of Bald Mountain Road said he was at his home watching television in a room that also had several security monitors. He looked at one monitor and saw a silver 1998 Pontiac Bonneville park near the gate to Bald Mountain Park, which was on his property.
The driver, later identified as Richards, was seen walking from the vehicle toward a residence at 345 Bald Mountain Road. The resident armed himself with a .380-caliber handgun, drove to the house and walked around to the back where he saw Richards exit the house through a sliding-glass door.
He said Richards ran toward him, so he fired one round into the ground, prompting Richards to jump a fence and run toward the King Expressway. The resident drove back to where the Pontiac was parked and blocked it in to keep Richards from leaving. Richards came back toward him near where the Pontiac was parked and the resident ordered him to the ground at gunpoint.
Richards fled through the woods toward the King Expressway. Garland County sheriff's Deputy Joey Pate had arrived to investigate and found a driver's license belonging to Richards inside the Pontiac and showed it to the resident, who identified Richards as the man he had seen and tried to detain.
Other deputies arrived to assist and, shortly after 12:30 p.m., Sgt. David Martineau located Richards in the 2900 block of Spring Street, about one mile north of the home on Bald Mountain. A Hot Springs Police Department K-9 unit located clothing in the woods between Bald Mountain and Spring that matched the clothing Richards was wearing earlier.
The owner of the residence at 345 Bald Mountain told investigators several items of jewelry were missing from the home. When questioned, Richards later admitted to entering the home without permission and confirmed his interaction with the resident, including him shooting a handgun and pointing it at him when he attempted to recover his vehicle.
Local on 09/28/2017