Two weeks later, the pair allegedly threw a hatchet through the same gas station window and made off with 88 cartons. The heist netted them about $11,200 worth of smokes, the prosecutor said. The next morning, Fornshell said, police caught Sexton selling cigarettes on the street.
A Warren County grand jury indicted both men on two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of theft and one count of grand theft auto for allegedly also stealing an 2005 ATV from a shed in Franklin.
“If you’re gonna break into a gas station and steal $10,000 worth of cigarettes, you probably don’t want to be on the streets of the same town the next morning selling cartons of cigarettes,” Fornshell said.
Justin W. Burnett, 24, of Miamisburg was also indicted for receiving stolen property because he helped Sexton deliver the ATV to another person’s house, where Sexton tried to sell the vehicle, according to Fornshell.
If found guilty on all counts, Sexton and Smith face five-and-a-half years in prison and Burnett is looking at 18 months in prison.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.
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