Joseph Pritchard of Briarcliff appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of taking cash and checks from a home in which he was staying.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the 48-year-old Pritchard had been allowed to stay in the victims’ home while they were away, but was instructed not to go into a locked office.
When the victims returned, they found the office had been entered. The change in piggy banks had been taken, and the banks refilled with rocks and a number of checks had also been taken.
Bank records showed numerous checks had been run electronically at the Mountain Home Walmart. In one transaction, identification was requested, and Pritchard provided his own driver’s license.
Pritchard faced a number of charges, including 11 counts of forgery for making and passing the stolen checks. In addition to prison time, Pritchard was ordered to pay restitution of slightly more than $700 to the victims.
He has been in trouble before for taking a credit card from relatives and using it a number of times in both Mountain Home and Searcy where he was undergoing drug rehab. He is said to have allowed other people to use the card as well.
In the earlier case, he was also charged with taking and pawning items he had stolen from his relatives. Pritchard, who was already a parolee from Illinois, was sentenced to three years in prison on those charges.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI