Man charged with multiple burglaries in SE Marion sentenced to 15-year prison term
A man accused of multiple burglaries in October 2020 has been sentenced to a 15-year prison term.
Circuit Judge Lisa Herndon was told that Christopher Chad Pennington qualified as a prison re-offender, which means he could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted by a jury since his crimes were committed within three years of his release.
The state and defense agreed to a sentence reduction and the 48-year-old Summerfield man was sentenced to the 15-year term. State records show Pennington has served time for child abuse, burglary and grand theft. Other records indicate he has criminal convictions that date back to 1991.
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Representing Pennington at Tuesday's hearing was Assistant Public Defender Sean K. Gravel. Assistant State Attorney Marissa Meyer prosecuted the case.
Multiple crime scenes
In late October 2020, a little more than a year after Pennington had been released from prison, deputies identified Pennington as the suspect in multiple crimes that happened in a short amount of time in southeast Marion County.
An elderly man told them he was asleep and, when he woke up, found a man in the closet. The victim said the man stole electronics and a vehicle that had a firearm.
Deputies said the 73-year-old victim, carrying his oxygen tank, had to ride a bicycle approximately a mile from his residence to a gas station to report the incident.
As deputies were interviewing the victim about that burglary, a woman called to report that a man had burglarized her residence and was eating food from her refrigerator. Before deputies arrived, the intruder, later identified as Pennington, took keys to a second vehicle and drove off.
While deputies were interviewing the victim of the second incident, they were notified about a man wearing only shorts screaming and hitting a wall at someone's property.
Deputies went to the location and found the person – Pennington – and detained him.
When deputies thought it was all over, they received two other calls from people describing how a stranger had burglarized two vehicles in different instances and stole several items. Again, the stranger was identified as Pennington.
Pennington was convicted of burglary of a dwelling, burglary of a conveyance and grand theft. He must pay fines and court cost, pay restitution, and have no contact with the victims.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: SE Marion burglaries lead to 15-year prison term
