Man convicted in connection with lottery store theft
Published 9:29 am Friday, April 11, 2014
A Century, Fla., man has been convicted in connection with the October 2013 burglary of a closed lottery store just across the Alabama-Florida state line.
According to the Escambia County (Fla.) Clerk of the Circuit Court, Joseph Steve Davis, 54, was found guilty of trespassing of an occupied structure or conveyance, second degree petit theft and criminal mischief. He was sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation and 300 hours of community service.
Davis had initially been charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied structure, but that charge was reduced to trespassing.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, dispatchers with the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office received information of a burglary in progress at 12:11 p.m., at the closed State Line O’ Yes Lotto on Florida State Route 97 in Davisville.
Deputies arrived on the scene as Davis was trying to leave in his vehicle. At approximately 12:17 p.m., Atmore Police Department officers pulled Davis over during a traffic stop.
Davis was taken into custody by the APD on alcohol-related charges, and officers said he reportedly stole beer from the closed store.
The store has been closed since its owner, Thomas Gerald Kroll, was shot and killed during a Nov. 6, 2012, robbery.