By Michael Bushnell

Northeast News

May 9, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Here’s an update to a story we brought you back in December of 2015 on a string of burglaries in the Sheffield Neighborhood. David R. Smith, a suspect in more than eight residential burglaries, has been sentenced to four years in prison after East Patrol Property Crimes detectives diligently worked on the case for more than four months. Smith was charged with Burglary in the 2nd Degree and Theft/Stealing, both Class C felonies.

David R. SmithSmith’s modus operandi was kicking in basement windows of unoccupied homes, then ransacking the basement area typically not covered by burglar alarm motion sensors. Smith allegedly operated out of a house in the 1100 block of Ewing that seems to be an epicenter for petty thieves and drug dealers.

Late in 2015 Smith was released from jail on similar burglary charges and returned to the neighborhood he knew. A pattern of residential burglaries began to develop shortly after his release, according to East Patrol Property Crimes Detective Dave DeLamare. Both Detective Eric Johnson and DeLamare began to work the case with the help of a witness who caught Smith in their residence and was able to identify him in a photo line-up. District officers were able to arrest Smith and hold him on outstanding warrants while Johnson and DeLamare continued to work the case with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office.

Last week Smith was sentenced to four years in prison with a six year back-up on the two felony burglary and stealing charges. A “back up” means that once Smith is released from prison, if he runs afoul of the law again, he will immediately go back to jail and serve a mandatory six year sentence.

“This was a total team effort from the get-go,” said Major Joe McHale, East Patrol’s commanding officer. “The hard work of the detectives who worked with the Prosecutor’s office to make sure we got a bad person put away for a while speaks volumes about their commitment to community.”