Published: May 30, 2009 09:54 pm      

Burglary charge for man who allegedly broke into home

A Waco man accused of breaking into his neighbor’s house after the victim caught him leaving the scene has been indicted on two felony charges by a Madison County grand jury.

Travis L. Rawlins, 25, of the 1600 block of College Hill Road, faces charges of first-degree burglary and theft of a controlled substance as well as a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia for the March 26 incident.

Rawlins is accused of breaking into his neighbor’s home with a screwdriver and taking two handguns and a bottle of Lortabs from the home.

The victim, Kevin Whitaker, arrived home as Rawlins was leaving the scene, and Rawlins told him he was looking for a lost dog, Madison County sheriff’s Deputy Joey Vorbeck testified in an April preliminary hearing.

The first-degree burglary charge stems from Rawlins taking a .25-caliber handgun and a .357-caliber handgun during the burglary.

If convicted, Rawlins could receive 10 to 20 years in prison for the burglary, one to five years for the theft and up to 12 months in jail for the paraphernalia charge.



Other indictments

• Marcus Jerome Pruitt, 24, of the 100 block of Woods Trail, Richmond, was indicted for first-degree trafficking in controlled substances, second-degree trafficking in controlled substances, possession of drug paraphernalia and trafficking in marijuana, less than eight ounces.

If convicted, he could receive five to 10 years in prison for the first-degree trafficking charge, one to five years for the second-degree charge and up to 12 months in jail each on the paraphernalia charge and the marijuana trafficking charge. (RPD)

• Larry Wallace, no age or address listed, was indicted for receiving stolen property, more than $300, and a first-degree persistent felony offender charge. If convicted, he could receive one to five years for the stolen property charge and 10 to 20 years for the persistent offender charge.

• Travis Hacker, 29, of the 800 block of Kenway Street, Richmond, was indicted for driving on a DUI-suspended license, second offense, and driving under the influence, fourth offense, and a second-degree persistent felony offender charge.

If convicted, he could receive one to five years in prison each on the driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license charges, and five to 10 years for the persistent offender charge. (BPD)

An indictment is a formal statement of charges and does not imply guilt.



Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.