Ronald Dale Boyer, 30, of De Soto has been accused of stealing a sound bar, lawnmower and other items from a home and shed in the 600 block of North Fourth Street in De Soto. He was on probation at the time of the alleged burglary, according to court documents.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on May 7 charge Boyer for second-degree burglary, a class D felony. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has asked the court to try the charge as a class C felony due to Boyer being convicted of at least two prior felonies, court records show.
A class C felony carries a penalty of three to 10 years in prison. A class D felony is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Boyer was arrested on May 6. He was being held, as of Tuesday, May 13, on a $10,000 cash-only bond, according to court documents.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, a De Soto Police officer was called at about 2:50 p.m. March 11 to the home that was allegedly burglarized.
A man told investigators Boyer drove up and down the alley multiple times the day the items were stolen. Another man said Boyer had brought the items to his house, and that he gave them to a different man, the report said.
Boyer allegedly told investigators he did bring the items to a home for a man to retrieve, and he said a different man stole the items and gave them to him. He said he was at work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the day of the alleged burglary, according to the report.
The man, who Boyer allegedly accused of committing the burglary, was incarcerated when the items were stolen. Investigators also learned Boyer had been fired from his job about a week before the alleged burglary, the report said.
According to court records, Boyer pleaded guilty to a second-degree burglary charge in August 2019 in Jefferson County. The judge suspended the imposition of a seven-year sentence and placed Boyer on five years’ probation.
Boyer also pleaded guilty to a felony stealing charge in October 2021 in Jefferson County and was sentenced to seven years in prison. However, the judge suspended the execution of that sentence and placed Boyer on five years’ probation, according to court documents.