Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Jonesboro man faces several charges after police said he stole a vehicle and shot his way into several businesses during an armed burglary spree last month.
District Judge Tommy Fowler found probable cause May 1 to charge 19-year-old Hunter Layne Taylor with the following:
- Three counts of commercial burglary (Class C felony)
- Possession of a firearm by certain persons/prior violent felony with a deadly weapon/firearm (Class B felony)
- Theft of a vehicle valued at less than $25,000 but greater than $5,000 (Class C felony)
- First-degree criminal mischief/property of another with a value over $5,0000 but less than $25,000 (Class C felony)
- Criminal attempt (Class D felony)
- Theft of $1,000 or less – from a building/second offense (Class D felony)
- First-degree criminal mischief/property of another with a value of $1,000 or less (Class A misdemeanor)
- Manufacture of a Schedule VI controlled substance (Class A misdemeanor)
- Five counts of discharging firearms within city limits (Municipal ordinance)
The charges stem from two investigations involving Hunter, starting with an incident that occurred March 12 at the Vault dispensary at 1707 Visions Avenue.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Jonesboro police officers discovered a hole had been cut into the metal garage door to gain access to the building. Surveillance footage showed Taylor using an angle grinder to cut the door and begin to enter, but he quickly ran away after seeing the camera.
Police returned to the Vault at 6 a.m. April 21, where they found the front and interior glass doors that lead to the sales area, as well as the glass countertop, to be shattered. The damages equated to $6,100.
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Surveillance footage showed that Taylor again attempted to gain entry into the business, but this time, he used a firearm to shoot the doors. Once inside, he is seen shooting the countertop and taking multiple display packages before getting into a vehicle and getting away. It was later discovered the vehicle was stolen from a nearby pharmacy.
Officers learned that earlier that morning at 4:20 a.m., Taylor drove the stolen vehicle to the Gee Street Market where he shot out a window and stole $273.93 of items including cigarettes and vapes. They also found that at 3:36 a.m., he had shot out a window at The Medicine Shop at 325 Southwest Drive and was carrying a black and blue bag. Both incidents were also caught on camera.
The affidavit said that the vehicle was found to be abandoned on the northbound on-ramp of Interstate 555 from Harrisburg Road. More surveillance footage showed Taylor walking on Windover Road before getting rid of the hoodie he was wearing.
On April 29, police received an anonymous tip that included Taylor’s name. It was said that Taylor was on parole and had a prior arrest for burglary and theft. Police said that Taylor was also paroled out to an address on Windover Road, 685 feet from where the vehicle was abandoned and three houses away from where the hoodie was discarded.
Police conducted a probation search on Taylor’s home. They found several items including the clothing he was wearing during the thefts, the black and blue bag, a box of disposable neon green gloves, and a marijuana plant.
Taylor is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond and is required to wear a GPS ankle monitor upon release. He is scheduled for arraignment June 26. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 63 years in prison and fines up to $68,500.
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