Clinton burglar sentenced to 20 years

 

A Clinton man was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of charges stemming from 2012 Clinton home break-in.

Keaston Kinard, 23, was convicted of first-degree burglary, safecracking and grand larceny after a two-day trial in Eighth Circuit Court at the Laurens County Courthouse.

“A family should be able to go on vacation without having to worry about a thief breaking into their home and taking their belongings,” Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo said. “I am proud of my staff as well as partners in law enforcement for working together to rid our community of a first-class thief like Keaston Kinard. My office will continue to vigorously prosecute any and all persons who pose a threat to the peace and tranquility of the communities of the Eighth Circuit.”

Circuit Judge Frank Addy sentenced Kinard to 15 years in prison on each of the charges of first-degree burlary and safecracking. Those sentences are to run concurrently. Kinard received an additional five years on the grand-larceny charge. Addy ordered that sentence to run consecutively to those of the two other crimes.

Kinard will serve a minimum of 12 years, nine months before being considered for parole. According to state law, first-degree burglary is considered a violent crime, so offenders are required to serve 85 percent of their sentence before parole eligibility.

The charges stem from a June 23, 2012 burglary of a house on Thornwell Street in Clinton. Kinard smashed a window to gain entry into the house through a back door. He then took a safe with guns, jewelry and other items. He stole a truck at the house to transport the safe from the scene.

Investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) were able to identify Kinard from a fingerprint left on the broken glass.

Deputy Solicitor Dale Scott and Assistant Solicitor Jim Todd handled the case against Kinard for the state with assistance from Eighth Circuit Investigator Walter Bentley. Kinard was represented by Joel Broome of the Eighth Circuit Public Defender’s Office.

In a release, Stumbo praised the work of Clinton Public Safety’s Lt. Casey Jones, Lt. Tyrone Goggins and Sgt. Phillip Wicker for their help in securing the conviction.