On Thursday, August 22nd, Trevor P. Barkley, d/o/b 12-07-1992, of Springfield, was sentenced to four (4) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for stealing a Chevrolet Impala from a convenience store. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Taney County Circuit Court Judge Mark Orr sentenced Barkley to prison after Barkley admitted that he stole the car from the Prime Time Store on Mount Branson, on June 27, 2013.

The owner of the car was merely a few feet away from his Impala when he noticed a white male with a shaved head and goatee drive away in his car. Later that night, Barkley was discovered near the stolen car at Highways MM and 76 with the keys to the car in his pocket. Other items discovered by Taney County deputies included a gun in the car that did not belong to the owner of the Impala, and Barkley’s red shirt bearing the words “Stop Snitching”.

“Our office seems to get several cases each year in which cars are stolen from convenience store or gas station parking lots,” said Jeff Merrell, Taney County Prosecuting Attorney. “I urge everyone in the community to remember to turn off your cars and take your keys out of your cars while you are not in them. Those simple precautions will deter a lot of would-be thieves from stealing your motor vehicle.”