A Jacksonville man has been charged in a string of recent equipment thefts.
Jacksonville Police arrested 49-year-old Kenneth D. Smith of the 1000 block of North Main Street at his residence without incident last Wednesday.
Smith was taken into custody in connection to an ongoing investigation by Jacksonville Police into several thefts of lawn and recreational equipment over the summer, several of which were featured as Crime Stoppers crimes of the week.
According to charging documents filed by the Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office, between June 11th and August 5th of this year, Smith took eight separate pieces of power equipment in the Jacksonville area, consisting of two Cub Cadet utility vehicles, and six lawn mowers of varying makes and models.
Four of the pieces of equipment were valued at between $10,000 and $100,000, while the other four have an approximate value of between $500 and $10,000.
On Friday of last week, Morgan County Circuit Judge Chis Reif said the court found probable cause to hold Smith and set bond at $100,000 with 10% to apply. Smith is due to appear for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Smith has a pending case in Morgan County Court stemming from an arrest on March 27th of this year, after he was arrested on a theft charge for taking property from a business in the 600 block of Capitol Way. A burglary charge was added later after police determined he had been inside the business after hours. Smith has pleaded not guilty in that case.
After the last arrest, Smith now faces four Class 2 Felony charges that if convicted carries a penalty of between three and 14 years imprisonment each, and four Class 3 Felonies, each of which carries a possible prison term of two to ten years.
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Jacksonville Police at 217-479-4630, or Morgan, Scott, Cass Crime Stoppers at 217-243-7300.