STARKE—A 33-year-old Lawtey man was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to paying another person to steal a microwave oven from Starke’s Walmart and then selling drugs the same day as the theft.
Houston James Fender pleaded to dealing in stolen property, two counts of illegal use of a two-way communications device, sale and possession of a controlled substance, and owning or renting a structure or vehicle to sell drugs.
In his plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop additional charges of grand theft auto and dealing in stolen property.
According to a Jan. 10 arrest report, deputies monitored a phone conversation between a confidential source and the defendant in which Fender instructed the source to steal a microwave.
“Fender explained to (the confidential source) that once he/she stole the microwave,” wrote reporting officer Detective Andrew Johnson, “Fender would purchase the microwave from (the source) for approximately half of the sticker price.”
Detectives then bought the microwave for $116.63 and placed a listening device on the source to record the transaction between the source and Fender.
Detectives monitored the $55 sale of the appliance from the source to the defendant. They then followed the defendant to his home.
In a separate report, Bradford Sheriff’s detectives said they set up a controlled drug buy from Fender to the source on the same day as the microwave transaction.
Reporting officer Andrew Johnson wrote that the defendant sold the source four Alprazolam pills for $40.
