Beginning in his late teens, a Mountain Home man has been arrested and charged with a long string of crimes, including breaking into a business, several homes, a hunting cabin, an outbuilding and a large number of storage units.
Twenty-four-year-old Brian Calvert appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and pled guilty to charges against him in three active criminal cases and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, the state dismissed revocations in six earlier cases involving Calvert.
In one of three open Baxter County cases, Calvert is charged with breaking into 22 storage units at two facilities and stealing a number of items in early July. Seventeen units were broken into at one storage facility between June 28 and July 5 and five units at the second site between July 5 and July 7.
A person described in court records as a “casual acquaintance” told investigators Calvert had been given permission to store items at his Buford area residence. The owner said Calvert brought piles of goods to the property, setting up what appeared to be a “chop shop.” A chop shop is generally a shady business where stolen vehicles are disassembled for the purpose of selling the parts. The property owner became concerned and told Calvert he needed to remove the items, but said Calvert either could not or would not honor the request.
When investigators went to the property along County Road 643, they reported finding a number of tools scattered around, as well as several four-wheelers and motorcycles in various phases of “disrepair and assemblage.”
A number of the items Calvert brought onto the property had been reported stolen, and investigators took photos and shared the pictures with victims who identified various items of property as belonging to them.
After the items were identified, investigators went back to the residence to secure the property, but found all of it had been moved. According to court records, investigators believed Calvert, who had been arrested and was in jail at that point, had an accomplice move the items from the Buford area residence.
Investigators then determined one unit at one of the burglarized storage facilities had strangely not been hit. It was found to be rented by Calvert. When officers entered the unit, they found property they had seen and photographed at the Buford area residence.
The third open case in Baxter County stems from the alleged theft of items, including a new air compressor, from a residence and outbuilding located along North Brook Place in Gamaliel in early February.
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