A habitual offender with 13 prior felony convictions was sentenced to 13 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to burglarizing Rod's Pizza Cellar last summer.
Derrick Craig Thomas, 50, who has remained in custody since his arrest June 19, pleaded guilty to felony charges of commercial burglary and theft of property over $1,000 and was sentenced to 13 years on each count, to run concurrently, while an additional misdemeanor charge of first-degree criminal mischief was withdrawn.
Thomas was also ordered to pay $190 in court costs and $2,500 in restitution from a civil judgment upon his release.
Thomas is classified as a habitual offender, having previously been convicted in 1997 for two counts of residential burglary, breaking or entering and commercial burglary and in 2000 for commercial burglary and two counts of theft of property, all in Garland County; in 2004 for possession of a controlled substance in Hempstead County; in 2007, for fraudulent use of a credit card, residential burglary, theft by receiving and fleeing, in Garland County; and possession of a firearm by certain persons in Clark County in 2008.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the burglary and theft, on June 5, the owner and operator of Rod's Pizza Cellar, 3350 Central Ave., reported a burglary and later posted several photographs and video of two suspects on the restaurant's Facebook page asking for help in identifying them.
The owner was contacted by one of Thomas' relatives, who said she felt he was one of the suspects.
The video showed two men outside the restaurant's drive-through window. One man, wearing a bright orange or red hat, broke the window and then both men entered the business. The man in the hat could be seen breaking an interior window to gain entry to the office, then removing items from the safe. Damages were estimated at $200 and $2,000 was removed from the safe.
Detective Shaun Stillian later spoke to the woman who had contacted the owner and asked her how she could be positive it was Thomas. She said she has known Thomas for 24 years and after viewing the photos and video she was "100% certain" Thomas was the one in the bright-colored hat seen committing the burglary.
A warrant for Thomas' arrest was issued on June 18 and he was taken into custody the next day. Thomas pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 3 and had been set for a disposition hearing on Dec. 10, but it was continued until Tuesday.
Local on 02/21/2020