Michael R. Mooney, 23, of Arnold recently was sentenced to seven years in prison following burglary and tampering charges, according to court papers.
On July 3, 2014, Mooney unlawfully entered a home in the 300 block of Marilyn Drive in Arnold while the resident was home and tried to steal items, the probable-cause statement said.
The victim told deputies he heard noises in his home, so he looked outside and saw Mooney standing on his back deck. The victim said he confronted Mooney, the son of a neighbor, and he ran away, carrying a blanket wrapped around some bottles of alcohol. However, as Mooney was fleeing into some nearby woods, the victim yelled at him, and Mooney dropped the items, the report said.
Later, deputies determined that Mooney had removed a screen on a basement window and forced it open to get inside the home, according to the report.
A few days later, on July 9, 2014, deputies spotted Mooney on Hwy. Y about two miles from Old Hwy. 21 driving a pickup that a De Soto man had reported stolen. At the time, Mooney’s driving privileges had been revoked, the report said.
Mooney pleaded guilty to felony burglary and tampering charges and on Dec. 16, 2014, he was sentenced by Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Robert G. Wilkins to two seven-year terms, one for each of the two charges. However, the terms are to be served concurrently, or at the same time. Mooney may be released early if he successfully completes a one-year treatment program, according to the report.
Mooney has been charged with misdemeanor stealing and fraudulent use of a credit device stemming from a July 5, 2014, incident in Jefferson County. That case is pending, court records show.
He previously received probation for felony burglary and stealing charges tied to a Feb. 17, 2014, incident in Florissant, as well as for misdemeanor stealing and DWI charges connected to a June 2013 incident in Jefferson County and for a misdemeanor trespassing charge stemming from a May 2013 incident in Jefferson County.
Mooney also previously was sentenced to probation for a misdemeanor DWI charge tied to a May 2013 incident in Potosi, for a misdemeanor DWI charge connected to a March 2013 incident in Jefferson County and for a misdemeanor charge for unlawful use of drug paraphernalia tied to an August 2012 incident in Jefferson County.