A man on parole when he was arrested on new charges appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division on Monday (January 12).Thirty-eight-year-old Morgan Lee Miller who has listed addresses in Mountain Home and Oroville, California on court documents entered a not guilty plea to charges of commercial burglary, removal of an anti-theft device and organized retail theft.
Miller and a codefendant, 31-year-old Rayndii Tolliver, are accused of prying open the door of a display case and taking seven pairs of 10K gold earrings valued at almost $1,700. Tolliver also pled not guilty to her charges on Monday.
The manager of the jewelry section told investigators that when she looked inside the case, she saw a number of empty boxes sitting on the bottom of the case.
When surveillance video was reviewed, it is reported Miller and Tolliver were seen walking around the jewelry counter.
The two left the area but returned with a cart containing a dog bed. Miller was reported to have squatted down appearing to use the cart to block anyone from seeing what he was doing.
Tolliver continued to walk around the area.
When Miller stood up, they ditched the cart in the jewelry section and walked straight out of the store passing all points of sale.
Both Miller and Tolliver are recorded as being in violation of their paroles, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Miller was on parole after being convicted of involvement in breaking into and stealing items from a storm damaged storage unit along State Highway 5 South.
On May 30, 2024, a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy responded to the report of a potential trespass and theft at a residence on Highway 5 South.
On arrival, it was discovered that a suspicious vehicle described as a dark blue pickup truck had left the residence and was parked at the nearby Big Foot Storage complex.
The deputy reported that the driver of the truck turned off the lights and he drove to where the vehicle was parked to contact the occupants.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the deputy saw a man wearing a blue hoodie and jeans “grab an item out of the storage unit” and toss it into the bed of what was determined to be a black 2012 Chevrolet Silverado.
The deputy activated his emergency lights and the truck immediately accelerated and sped away. A male who was in the back of the truck began throwing items out of the truck bed toward the deputy’s patrol car.
The fleeing vehicle eventually encountered downed power lines that had been knocked down in a tornado that had hit the area in late May 2024 and had to leave the road.
It then crashed into some trees and the occupants fled.
As deputies searched the wrecked truck, they found a California driver’s license belonging to Miller and documents showing the truck was registered to Jonathan Smith.
As the occupants of the truck were being located and rounded up, a call came into the sheriff’s office reporting that a male was being held at gunpoint close to the area where the truck had crashed.
The man was identified as Miller. He was reported to have denied any knowledge about the incident.
He later pled guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to five years in prison, with three to serve and two suspended.
Miller’s parole has been revoked, according to court records.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI