BONIFAY – A man who was first spotted breaking into a truck by its owner and then identified by motion-detector game camera pictures on the property has been sentenced to 8 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
William Junior Bryan Jr., 49, of Freeport, was found guilty by a Holmes County jury after deliberating for 20 minutes on Wednesday of Burglary of a Dwelling and Attempted Burglary of a Conveyance. Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts presided over the one-day trial and sentencing.
Chief Holmes County Prosecutor Jake Cook called three witnesses, including the resident who was awakened during the burglary.
“For lifelong criminals, just like we had in this case, we will continue to seek the maximum penalty under Florida Law,” Cook said. “Hopefully this Defendant thinks twice before he goes out and commits his 26th felony.”
The testimony and evidence showed that the resident of the home was awakened by his barking dog around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 20. He went to the back porch of the residence and saw a man wearing short and white socks – no shirt or shoes – getting out of his truck.
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The resident called 911; he then noticed some items inside his home had been stolen. He checked his deer camera, and it showed a bald white male wearing shorts and socks with no shoes. Deputies spotted the defendant a short distance away and said the man immediately turned around, placed his hands on his head and dropped to his knees.
Basford thanked the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office for its fast response to the call and quick arrest.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.