The second of two suspects arrested early last year after burglarizing a Hot Springs residence and stealing a $3,000 Buddha statue was sentenced to six years in prison Wednesday after pleading no contest in Garland County Circuit Court.
James Marion Andrews, 38, who has remained in custody since his arrest Feb. 9, 2018, was set to stand trial Wednesday but opted to plead no contest to a felony count of residential burglary while additional felony charges of second-degree forgery and theft of property over $1,000 were withdrawn.
Andrews was sentenced to six years in prison with court costs and fees expunged for time served. His accomplice, Leslie Leane Davis, 48, had pleaded guilty on July 16, 2019, to residential burglary and was sentenced to eight years in prison. She also pleaded guilty to theft of property, which was amended to a misdemeanor charge, and was sentenced to one year in jail to run concurrently.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a female resident reported that two unidentified suspects forced entry into her apartment in the 3900 block of Central Avenue on Jan. 9 around 6:45 p.m. and stole a 2-foot mahogany Buddha statue, valued at $3,000, clothing valued at $500 and voided payroll checks from her place of business next door.
The burglary was reportedly captured on surveillance video from her business. In the video, a man and woman are seen lingering around the business when the man, later identified as Andrews, came inside and spoke to the victim asking if she wanted to buy some "merchandise."
The victim refused and Andrews left the business and met up with the woman, identified as Davis, at a vending machine nearby "with a couple of bags." The videos reportedly shows the two forcing entry into the victim's apartment and later exiting with additional bags. The affidavit noted James "appeared to be struggling to carry the bags" and they continued to walk north out of camera view toward Mockingbird Street.
A witness, 46, told police he observed a man acting suspicious and refused to help when the man asked him to help load a large Buddha statue into a taxi. The taxi driver later confirmed a pick up at that location and that he drove the pair to Mockingbird Street where they picked up their bags and then he dropped them off at the Valero, 2600 Central.
Hot Springs police Officers Hunter Scott and Mark Wilson were contacted by a clerk at the Valero in reference to two people there acting suspiciously. James can be identified through the officer's dash camera wearing the same clothing as in the security video. The two were not detained at the time as the burglary was reported the following day.
On Jan. 16, one of the stolen checks was reportedly forged and deposited into Andrews' bank account and written in the amount of $613.
Andrews was arrested on Feb. 9, 2018, and pleaded not guilty to the charges on April 13. He was set to stand trial on Sept. 25, 2018, but filed a motion for a mental evaluation which postponed further proceedings. On March 4, he was found fit to proceed and a new trial was scheduled for this week.
Local on 09/21/2019