Joseph C. Bearden, 28, of St. Louis County, a prior offender, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing a High Ridge couple’s identity and racking up more than $11,000 in transactions and withdrawals from their bank account, court records said.
Bearden, who previously lived in High Ridge, pleaded guilty to felony identity theft, and on Nov. 9, Jefferson County Div. 2 Circuit Judge Darrell E. Missey sentenced him to 15 years in prison. However, he could be released early if he successfully completes a 24-month treatment program, according to court papers.
In March 2016, the High Ridge couple told authorities they noticed money missing from their bank account. After obtaining a statement from the bank, they saw transactions and withdrawals from the account between December 2015 and March 2016 they had not made that totaled 11,096.9. There were $6,860.15 in transactions for goods and services, and $4,236.75 in withdrawals from the account, the probable-cause statement said.
Bearden, who had dated on the of the couple’s relatives and who had briefly lived with the victims, was identified as a suspect, the report said.
A witness told authorities she had seen Bearden use the victims’ debit card to make online purchases, including buying a drill from the Lowe’s website before returning the item to the store for cash. The witness provided the High Ridge couple with a Lowe’s receipt that had Bearden’s name on it, according to the report.
One of the victims told police that Bearden had called her to apologize for taking and using her debit card, the report said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney David C. Casey handled the case.
Bearden had previous convictions for felony stealing tied to a November 2007 incident, for four counts of felony receiving stolen property stemming from a June 2008 incident, for felony receiving stolen property tied to a September 2008 incident and for felony second-degree burglary and theft connected to a February 2010 incident, all in St. Louis County.
Bearden currently is in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.