On April 15, 2016, ROBERT C. GRANT, d/o/b 3-30-1982, of Hollister, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court of Taney County, to the class B felony of burglary in the first degree – stemming from a 2015 home-invasion. Special Judge Doug Bacon accepted Grant’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. Pursuant to a plea agreement with the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office, Grant’s maximum sentence is capped at fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
In the early morning hours of April 10, 2015, officers from Hollister Police Department, Branson Police Department, and the Taney County Sheriff’s Office all responded to a report of a break-in at a residence on Texas Avenue, in Hollister. When officers arrived at the residence, a homeowner was observed holding a suspected burglar at gun-point on the porch of the residence. The burglar was eventually identified as Robert C. Grant, and Grant was observed to be extremely intoxicated and uncooperative with the officers.
Grant’s nephew was with him when Grant forced entry through the back door of the home with a debit card, while the residents there were asleep. Grant made statements to his nephew that the home was abandoned – although it was not. Eventually, the homeowners awakened and confronted the burglars with a handgun. While officers were en route to the residence, Grant’s nephew fled into the woods and Grant struck one of the homeowners in the head with his fist.
“Fortunately, no one was seriously injured during this burglary,” said Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell. “I can’t imagine how frightening this must have been for the homeowners. Although the homeowners would have been well within their rights to shoot the burglars, it appears they exercised great restraint.”
The range of punishment for the class B felony of burglary in the first degree is from five (5) years to fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Robert C. Grant was charged as a prior and persistent felony offender for having previously been convicted of at least two (2) felonies. That enhancement could have increased the possible maximum sentence to thirty (30) years in prison.