A Jefferson City man has been sentenced to five years in prison in connection with breaking into The Salvation Army Thrift Store on Michigan Street in September 2019.
Demetrius Jones, 31, pleaded guilty during a hearing before Cole County Judge Dan Green to second-degree burglary, attempted stealing and second-degree property damage.
Green ordered the sentence run concurrent to all other sentences Jones is currently serving and that he be given credit for time served.
Officers responded to the store after a burglar alarm went off in September, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement. They found the front main door of the business had been shattered and a large rock was on the ground just inside the door. Inside, they found Jones hiding in a bathroom.
Authorities found Jones to be in possession of cash. Later they found the drawer on the store's cash register had been pulled out and all the money removed.
A store employee told authorities how much was to have been inside the cash register at the time the burglary occurred. Officers said the amount Jones was found to be in possession of matched that amount.
During an interview, Jones admitted to taking the money.