A Searcy County man, 52-year-old Tony Carver of St. Joe, was sentenced to three years of supervised probation in connection with the theft of a riding lawn mower owned by a Marion County church and an air conditioner taken in Searcy County.
The sentence came last Wednesday in Marion County Circuit Court following a negotiated plea to felony charges of commercial burglary and theft of property. The plea agreement and statement were filed Tuesday.
According to the affidavit in the case, the pastor of the Marion County church reported the mower missing in April 2017 from its location at the Bruno Fire Department. The mower was kept behind an unlocked fenced area behind the fire department, across the road from the church.
Through an investigation, an officer with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office learned the mower was at a residence in Boone County. The homeowner told the officer his son was approached by a man, later identified as Carver, wanting to sell the mower valued at $,1,999 for $300. The purchase was made, and Carver also offered an air conditioner for sale. The air conditioner was not purchased but left at the Harrison residence, with Carver saying he would return for it later.
The Marion County officer identified the air conditioning unit by its serial number as one reported stolen in Searcy County.
Carver was interviewed in the Searcy County jail and told law enforcement he and his girlfriend had taken the mower from behind the fence at the fire station.
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