Sandra Lynn Wideman, 54, of Cedar Hill has been charged for allegedly stealing items and helping to steal a safe that had four guns stored inside it. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office recovered three of the four stolen guns, court records show.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on March 26 charged Wideman with second-degree burglary and three counts of stealing a firearm, the four charges are class D felonies that are punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to court documents.
Wideman was arrested on Wednesday, May 21, and as of Thursday, May 22, she was being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court records said.
Justin William Benner, 33, of Cedar Hill on March 10 was charged with second-degree burglary and three counts of stealing a firearm, all four charges are class D felonies. However, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has asked the court to consider the alleged crimes class C felonies, which are punishable by three to 10 years in prison, due to Benner being a persistent offender, according to court documents.
On Monday, May 19, Benner pleaded guilty to the four charges, and Jefferson County Div. 5 Circuit Judge Joseph Melenbrink sentenced him to 10 years for each charge. However, the sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time, for a total of 10 years, and Benner will enter a 120-day program and may be eligible for probation after completing the program, court records show.
Benner and Wideman were allegedly seen in surveillance video from Nov. 10, 2024, stealing items from a home while the man who lived there was away. Wideman allegedly told investigators the two entered the home through the front door after looking through windows and seeing no one was in the house, the case’s probable-cause statement said.
She also said Benner gave her a laundry basket with clothing that she took outside. Benner stole a safe that had four guns and clothing store inside it, the report said.
Benner was located by the victim on Nov. 13, 2024, wearing some of the stolen clothes. Deputies responded to where the two men were at and seized the clothing, according to the report.
Sheriff’s Office detectives also learned that day the Benner stored the stolen guns at a Cedar Hill home. They found three of the four stolen guns in a duffle bag next to Benner’s clothing in the home’s laundry room, the report said.
On Dec. 24, 2024, Benner allegedly admitted to stealing the safe, which he said was loaded onto a friend’s pickup that was seen in surveillance video. Benner said his friend opened the safe, and the two split what was found inside it, the report said.
Court records show in September 2023 that Benner pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for each charge, but the sentences were suspended and he was placed on five years’ probation.