A Lee’s Summit, Mo. man found himself right back in the Platte County Detention Center when he allegedly committed a burglary shortly after being released from custody for an unrelated incident.
According to court documents, a Platte County Sheriff’s Department deputy located Aaron R. Jones, 31, walking on southbound Interstate 435 at around 3:08 p.m. on Sept. 13 and took him into custody after finding a stolen laptop computer and keys in his possession. The items were reportedly taken earlier in the day from Rollins Funeral Home at 1106 Branch St. in Platte City. Jones had been released from jail at approximately 11:30 a.m. that day after being ticketed for misdemeanor marijuana possession the previous day, according to Sgt. Jerin Almond of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department. About two hours later, Platte City Police Department officers were dispatched to 601 Zed Martin St. regarding a prowler. Mary Layton, who lives at the residence, advised that a white male approached her saying he had stolen a laptop and keys from a funeral home and inquired if she knew anyone who might want to purchase the items. He advised he had just been released from jail. According to Layton, the suspect left walking westbound, and she called the police.
Officers contacted the sheriff’s department and determined the description — a man wearing a black shirt and gray shorts with several tattoos — matched that of a suspect arrested the previous day. Layton identified Jones from a booking photo officers obtained of him from the drug arrest. Merideth M. Booth-Vaughn later confirmed the items were stolen from the business at about the same time Jones went back into custody. He now faces a Class C felony charge of second-degree burglary, which carries a potential penalty of up to seven years in prison, in addition to the misdemeanor for possessing less than 35 grams of marijuana in charges Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd filed last week. Jones remains in custody while awaiting his felony hearing on a $10,000 cash-only bond.