A Marion County Circuit Court jury took an unusual step last week when it recommended consecutive sentences for a Yellville man totaling 61 years of incarceration. The longest single sentence recommended was 20 years in prison on a felony charge of residential burglary. The jury’s sentencing recommendations followed guilty verdicts on all seven counts against 53-year-old Robert Cobb of Yellville stemming from a burglary incident in November 2017.
Following the jury trial and recommended sentences, Circuit Judge Gordon Webb took the matter under advisement.
In a letter filed online Friday morning, Judge Webb says the court is basically going to follow the jury’s recommended sentences. In addition to the 20 years on the residential burglary count, Cobb was sentenced to 15 years each on two theft of property charges, five years on a criminal mischief charge, and five years each on two breaking or entering charges, as well as one year in the county jail on a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief to commit breaking or entering, totaling 61 years.
Judge Webb’s ruling modifies the jury’s recommendation only to the extent two felony breaking or entering sentences of five years each and the misdemeanor count will run concurrently with the other sentences. By law, the misdemeanor has to run concurrently. His decision reduces the total amount of the sentences from 61 to 55 years.
Background:
Cobb and 42-year-old Anthony Contreras of Summit were arrested and charged after deputies responded to a reported burglary along Water Tower Lane in Summit.
According to the probable cause affidavit, while processing the scene, from the deck of the residence one of the officers observed two male subjects, later identified as Cobb and Contreras, walking toward the residence. The residence had a locked gate at its entrance, which led to the officers parking their patrol cars nearly 100 yards south of the home.
The officer observed Cobb go to the front of the residence and Contreras to the rear, where he walked within a few feet of the Marion County corporal standing on the deck.
When ordered to stop and make his hands visible, Contreras dropped an item from his hand. Cobb was being escorted to the deck area at this point by the second officer.
When asked if the two suspects knew the owner and why were they were on the property, Cobb said he had seen three guys running from the location of the gate and was curious what was going on.
When Contreras was ordered to stop, Cobb was seen running toward the woods north of the residence carrying a ratchet, with a socket and a bag. The ratchet had been observed earlier on the ground in the driveway.
The bag and ratchet were identified by the homeowner as his property.
The report notes 15 firearms were reported missing, with extensive damage to the inside of the residence and to one of the gun safes. Other safes were reported stolen. In addition to the residence, items were missing from two storage buildings and a camper trailer.
The burglary was believed to have been going on for several days, while the owners were in Florida. Items were taken down a power line and staged for pickup, possibly at the railroad tracks.
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