Missouri Man Takes Plea deal in Burglary Spree in Kansas
A Missouri man suspected of dozens of burglaries has pleaded no contest to one of the burglaries in Lyon County.
Joseph Paul Jones Jr., of Springfield, Missouri, had faced 40 counts in Lyon County related to a series of break-ins in 2014. In return for his plea and an agreement to pay restitution on 38 of 40 counts, the state dismissed the other burglary counts.
The Emporia Gazette reports Jones pleaded no contest to a burglary at a cafe in Emporia in May 2014. Prosecutors say Jones committed several burglaries in Emporia before going to Hutchinson, where he continued his break-in spree.
A Reno County jury found Jones guilty in January 2015 of 39 counts for burglarizing 19 businesses in the Hutchinson area.