Photo: Ricky Don Jones
A man who once worked part-time in the Twin Lakes area and was alleged to have stolen tools and jewelry from his employer was sentenced to 10 years in prison during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court last week. In addition to prison time, 46-year-old Ricky Don Jones, who lists a Boonville address, was ordered to pay the victim $6,700 in restitution.
As his sentence was being pronounced, Jones indicated he didn’t totally agree with the value placed on the items he admitted taking, but wanted to complete the plea so he cold get his problems with the law in Baxter County behind him.
Jones has also been in trouble with the law in Northwest Arkansas. According to court records, he was given a prison sentence there after pleading to theft of property charges in Crawford County.
In Baxter County, Jones was hired by the occupant of a residence along County Road 675 to work on various projects outside the home. The resident had just moved into the house when she contracted with Jones to do the work. The victim said Jones was at the property off-and-on between Sept. 31 and Oct. 12 last year.
On Oct. 25, 2018, the resident called the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office to report missing tools. The victim said she first got in touch with Jones who admitted he had the tools and promised to return them the next time he came back to work. He did not keep his word and the victim said she was unable to make contact with him by phone.
The resident later found jewelry kept in a closet in the master bedroom gone. Investigators were told the victim believed Jones had taken the items on the last day he showed up for work, when she ran an errand, and he was left alone on the property. A few days later, it was determined Jones had sold a necklace at a pawnshop in Boonville. A photograph was provided and the victim identified the piece of jewelry as hers.
The probable cause affidavit does not provide information on how Jones and the victim met, or why he was doing work in Baxter County when he apparently lived almost four hours away.
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