A Yellville teen charged with four felony offenses in connection with a burglary at Yellville-Summit Public Schools made his first appearance in Marion County Circuit Court Wednesday.
Online court records indicate 17-year-old Robert Trey Dickerson entered a plea of not guilty to charges of theft, theft of a firearm, commercial burglary and criminal mischief.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officers from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigating a burglary at the schools on the morning of June 27th discovered the duty belt of a reserve deputy had been taken. The duty belt contained the officer’s weapon, extra magazines and other tools used in the course of his job.
Investigators observed a large broken window as the point of entry. The outside of the maintenance building had been spray painted with graffiti, along with the outside security camera.
In one of the offices entered at the school officers were able to lift usable latent fingerprints from two of the computer monitors destroyed during in the break-in. The hard drive for the security system and a computer tower were also destroyed in the same office. The officer’s duty belt containing his pistol, three magazines, portable radio, handcuffs, pepper spray, body armor and the badge from his uniform were taken from the same office.
Officers returned to the school about an hour later when a male juvenile, indicating he had information about the case, asked to speak with them.
The juvenile told officers he went to Dickerson’s apartment the prior evening to engage in PlayStation games with the teen and another juvenile. Dickerson and the juvenile began talking about breaking into the bus garage at the school and taking the duty belt. The two said they had used a rock to break a window and gain access.
The juvenile told law enforcement he had seen the gun and other items taken, with Dickerson allegedly playing with the weapon. Redactions in the affidavit indicate one of the two juveniles told Dickerson to put the gun away or he would call the police.
The juvenile said when he left the apartment, the gun belt was in the trunk of Dickerson’s vehicle.
The two who reportedly broke into the Yellville-Sumit Schools were located at Dickerson’s mother’s apartment in Flippin and were taken to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for questioning and released.
Sheriff Clinton Evans advised of the situation traveled to the Flippin apartment to secure the residence and Dickerson’s vehicle, while his officers worked to obtain a search warrant. A short time later, Sheriff Evans advised Dickerson and his parents had relinquished the stolen property.
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