A homeless man arrested in 2018 after burglarizing the Pocket Community Theatre multiple times pleaded guilty to felony charges Monday in Garland County Circuit Court.
Shamus Michael Forsberg, 29, who had been "squatting" in a house near the theater, pleaded guilty to commercial burglary and theft of property over $5,000, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and was sentenced to five years' probation, fined $500 and ordered to pay $190 in court costs.
Forsberg, who listed no prior criminal history, was arrested Nov. 2, 2018, and was released on a $5,000 bond on Dec. 3, 2018. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 28, 2019, and the case had been postponed several times, most recently due to COVID-19 concerns, and was set for trial this month but he opted to plead guilty at a pretrial hearing Monday.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Oct. 30, 2018, an associate of the theater, located at 170 Ravine St., notified Hot Springs police a burglary had occurred sometime during the night. Among the items missing were a Casio keyboard, a light board, wireless microphones, televisions, radio equipment, power tools, and a safe with a total estimated value of $5,830.
Tami Kendall, then-president of The Pocket Community Theatre, told The Sentinel-Record at the time it appeared that someone scaled the back wall of the theater to bypass the fencing and broke a small window. After another break-in, she said it looked like they removed a window air conditioning unit and entered through an office window.
Three days later, officers responded to another burglary at the theater and while at the scene, another man associated with the theater arrived and said he was the executor of a residence at 159 Ravine, just up the street from the theater.
He said the house was supposedly vacant and he wanted to check inside to see if any of the stolen theater items were there. As he and officers entered the house, a man ran out the back door. A neighbor who saw the man fleeing gave his description to police.
Forsberg, who matched the description, was located a short time later, walking in the 400 block of Park Avenue. When asked what was going on, Forsberg admitted he was "squatting" in the residence at 159 Ravine and fled when he heard someone attempting to get in the front door.
He also admitted he owned a dog found inside the house and to breaking into the theater and taking items back to the residence.
Numerous items stolen from the theater were located in the house. Kendall said a wide array of items were taken, including stage makeup, office and craft supplies, costumes, and various other props, but only some of the items were recovered. Most of the group's power tools and electronics were not found.