Felon caught breaking into delivery truck in April sentenced to prison

Jeremy Jermayne Burkes - Submitted photo
Jeremy Jermayne Burkes - Submitted photo

A felon caught by Hot Springs police earlier this year breaking into a local company's delivery truck after setting off the alarm was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.

Jeremy Jermayne Burkes, 40, who has remained in custody since his arrest the night of the incident on April 12, pleaded guilty to a felony count of breaking or entering and a felony charge of second-degree forgery, stemming from a previous arrest, and was sentenced to five years on each count, to run concurrently.

An additional misdemeanor count of theft of property was adjudicated by time served. In addition to prison time, Burkes was ordered to pay a total of $630 in court costs upon his release.

According to the probable cause affidavit, on April 12, shortly after 10:30 p.m., police responded to Sanders Supply Warehouse, 167 Shady Grove Road, regarding a burglar alarm.

Officers checked around the business and determined all the warehouse doors were closed and secure. Sgt. Allen Constant was on the north side of the building when he spotted a man, later identified as Burkes, inside one of the delivery trucks inside the fenced-in area of the business.

He saw Burkes on the passenger side of the truck and as Burkes opened the door he ordered him to get on the ground face down and Burkes complied as officers covered him with their weapons through the fence. Constant and Cpl. Kenny May had to climb over the fence to get inside the area to take Burkes into custody.

A computer check showed Burkes also had a failure to comply warrant out of the city.

The forgery charge stemmed from Burkes' arrest on Sept. 26, 2019, around 3:30 p.m., at Walmart, 1601 Albert Pike, after trying to shoplift an Xbox and then trying to pay for it with a counterfeit $1,000 bill "that had Biblical Scriptures written on the back." Burkes also grabbed some cigarettes while the clerk wasn't looking and then tried to flee after the bill was determined to be counterfeit.

He had bonded out on the forgery and theft charges which were still pending in circuit at the time of his arrest on the breaking or entering charge.

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