Three Fenton residents recently were sentenced to prison for working together to steal more than $1,000 in merchandise from the Buchheit store on Gravois Road in House Springs, court records show.
Stephen L. Grace, 29, was sentenced to 10 years; Chad H. King, 29, was sentenced to seven years; and Amber S. Grace, 28, was sentenced to five years.
Both Stephen Grace and King are persistent offenders, and Amber Grace also had previous convictions, according to court documents.
On May 4, 2014, the three entered the Buchheit store, concealed more than $1,000 worth of items and left without paying for them, the probable-cause statement said.
A Jefferson County deputy reviewed video footage from the store and identified two of the suspects – the Graces – by tracing the license plate from the vehicle the three used to get to and from the store and then by comparing the security images to the Graces’ driver’s licenses and arrest photographs, the report said.
The Graces admitted to stealing the items and identified King as an accomplice, and then law enforcement picked him up at his Fenton home. King admitted to working with the Graces to steal the items. In addition, a drill and battery taken during the theft were found at King’s home, according to the report.
All three pleaded guilty to felony stealing.
On May 6, Jefferson County Div. 3 Circuit Judge Nathan B. Stewart sentenced Stephen Grace to 10 years. That term is to be served concurrent, or at the same time, with a five-year term he was sentenced to in October 2012 for a felony drug possession tied to a September 2010 incident in Jefferson County. In addition, he may be released early if he successfully completes a 24-month treatment program, the report said.
He previously served jail time for a felony drug possession charge tied to a Nov. 2007 incident in St. Louis County, court papers indicate.
On April 28, Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Robert G. Wilkins sentenced King to seven years. That term is to be served concurrent with two three-year terms he was sentenced to in April 2013 for felony drug possession charges – one stemming from a July 2012 incident in Jefferson County and the other connected to a May 2009 incident in Jefferson County, the report said.
On March 3, Stewart sentenced Amber Grace to five years. That term is to be served concurrent with two five-year terms she previously was sentenced to for felony drug charges. In July 2011, she was sentenced to one of the five-year terms connected to a September 2010 incident in Jefferson County, and in August 2012, she was sentenced to the other one, stemming from a January 2011 incident in Jefferson County.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Trisha C. Stefanski handled the most recent case against Stephen Grace, Catherine M. Robertson handled the recent case against King, and Douglas S. Pribble handled the recent case against Amber Grace.
Stephen Grace currently is in the Ozark Correctional Center in Fordland; King is in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre; and Amber Grace is in the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia.