Kerry Joe Partridge Jr. 27, Great Bend, has been sentenced to four years, nine months in custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, Barton County Attorney Amy Mellor announced.
In May, Partridge was convicted of possession of methamphetamine and aggravated burglary. At his sentencing last Friday in Barton County District Court, he was also ordered to pay more than $32,000 in restitution. He was advised that he cannot possess firearms as a result of his conviction.
In 2016, Partridge broke into several homes and sheds in Barton County, taking guns, tools and more. He was caught on Feb. 15, 2016, after a woman called 911 around 3 a.m. and reported she heard noises in her backyard near her garage. The Great Bend Police Department surrounded the garage in the 1400 block of 12th Street, where they apprehended Partridge. They also found a bag with various tools inside it, which were likely used to pry open a window.
The investigation led to other charges, starting with a Jan. 18, 2016, burglary in rural Great Bend. According to the criminal complaint, a .22 rifle, 12 gauge shotgun and Goya guitar were taken from a shed. Other complaints alleged the theft of a wire welder, battery charger, drill and more tools, more guns and a Bowie knife, jewelry, Oakley sunglasses, a laptop computer and cash.
Partridge has 2015 convictions for forgery-making, defined as “altering or endorsing any written instrument in way that purports to have been made by another person,” in Stafford County, and aggravated burglary in Edwards County.