The son of a pastor who is an active supporter of law enforcement is one of three young men to be charged with two counts of commercial burglary after vandalizing West Jones High School, a convenience store and other locations. Richard Camryn Bates, 21, of Wilcher Drive, entered West Jones High School around 1 a.m Monday by breaking in the school’s front-door glass with a large crescent wrench, Maj. Jamie Tedford said. Two minors were also involved, but their names weren’t released.
It’s possible that they will also be charged as adults, but they were taken to youth court after turning themselves in Tuesday.
The trio entered the school’s main office and several administrative offices and broke computers, printers, copy machines, and personal items belonging to the principals. They also entered the football fieldhouse and broke office equipment and trophies, according to the affidavit. No alarm went off to notify police.
“The last estimate (of damage) was $4,000, but it could be higher as estimates for repairs come in,” Superintendent Tommy Parker said.
At about 3 a.m., the trio broke a window at Fast Stop at the intersection of Highway 15 North and Trace Road. When an alarm sounded, the group fled the scene, according to the affidavit that was read in Justice Court. Ted- ford said there were also various misdemeanor vandalisms around the Soso/Shady Grove community that Bates admitted to.
“Through the investigation, Bates said they planned on stealing cigarettes from the gas station and selling them to make money,” according to the affidavit.
He also admitted to investigators that they had been drinking alcohol.
Judge Billie Graham set his bond at $10,000 because he only had a misdemeanor domestic violence charge on his record and didn’t actually take anything.
Bates told the judge he had just returned from welding school in North Dakota and didn’t have a job yet.
Bates’ father, Pastor Richard Bates of Plainway Baptist Church in Laurel, is a well-known supporter of law enforcement officials. His church hosted “Bibles, Boots & Badges,” an appreciation breakfast for law officers, on June 7.
In unrelated cases, a man the sheriff’s department had been seeking for nearly a month for a residential burglary turned himself in at the county jail Monday with one of the items he had taken from a mobile home on Reed Road.
Christopher “Skeeter” Hetrick, 23, of Ellisville, took a crossbow, a 30/.06 rifle, a flat- screen television and a Playstation 3. All the items have been recovered except the TV, which investigators believe he may have dumped in a trash bin.
In court, Hetrick told Graham he had a 3-year-old daughter who lives with her grandfather and he doesn’t pay child support. He was recently laid off from a job moving mobile homes, but said he has another job. He said he is unable to afford a lawyer.
His criminal histo- ry includes about six misdemeanor charges. Graham set his bond at $10,000.
A father of five who was also unemployed and couldn’t afford his own lawyer was charged with grand larceny.
David Eubanks, 55, lives at The Southern Inn on Ellisville Boulevard. He is accused of stealing a 7×20 trailer valued at $6,000 from TJ’s Welding Shop on Victory Road. He was seen on surveillance video.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1988 for sale of cocaine, was charged with burglary in 2010 and felony DUI in 2011. He also had an outstanding warrant for being a felon in possession of controlled substance from Hinds County.
Graham set his bond at $20,000.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rbHAnZyrZZOWua16wqikaKaVrMBwuM6cmKVnoKe8brzOpaCcnV2lrrTAzqtkrGWjpLtufoymoKenoqh6t63NnZiloaqaeri2jpqpraGTobKgfJifm3FxYZl6cn%2BVamRubJVleqKCkm1kcm2UmLB6hMNuaW5xXp3Brrg%3D