A Jefferson City woman has been placed on five years of supervised probation in connection with stealing from a Heritage Highway residence that was damaged during the May 22 tornado.
Tammy Patterson, 53, pleaded guilty during a hearing before Cole County Judge Jon Beetem to one count of second-degree burglary.
In October, a second person charged in this case - Brian Hewitt, 55, of Jefferson City - also pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary, and Beetem sentenced him to three years in prison, with that sentence to run concurrent to other prison sentences he would be serving.
A property owner in the 5500 block of Heritage Highway reported June 3 that items had been stolen from his garage and basement, including a Savage Axis rifle, tool box, Wii U video game console and weed eater, according to probable cause statements from the Cole County Sheriff's Department.
The owner said he and his family had been staying at a separate residence because the home was not structurally sound.
After he reported the stolen items, the Cole County Sheriff's Department placed cameras inside the garage with the victim's permission.
On June 8, the property owner reported more items had been stolen from the garage, including a riding lawn mower and snow blower.
After reviewing the camera footage of two people entering the garage, the Sheriff's Department later identified Patterson and Hewitt.
Patterson and Hewitt lived together, according to home addresses listed in felony complaint court documents.
While driving to the suspects' last known address, a deputy saw the suspect's vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Patterson agreed to go with the deputy and told the deputy where to find Hewitt.
When the deputy went to the residence where Hewitt was, the deputy recognized a riding lawn mower matching the description of the one stolen from the garage on Heritage Highway.
Patterson gave permission for the deputy to search the residence and a shed, and Hewitt pointed out items in the garage that had come from the Heritage Highway home.
The deputy found almost all of the stolen items except for the Savage Axis rifle. Patterson and Hewitt told the deputy they had not taken the rifle, according to the statement.
Patterson and Hewitt told the deputy they had entered the residence in the 5500 block of Heritage Highway three different times to steal items.