Burglar Given four 30-Year Sentences

Joshua Shapley
Joshua Shapley

District Attorney’s Office press release

Joshua Shapley, 31, of Chandler was sentenced to four concurrent 30 year sentences in the Texas Department of Corrections today in the 392nd District Court of Henderson County by District Judge Carter Tarrance. Assistant District Attorneys Jenny Palmer and Daniel Cox prosecuted the case for Scott McKee’s District Attorney’s Office.

The convictions stem from several burglaries that occurred during the spring of 2013. During one burglary, deputies with the Henderson County Sherriff’s Department were dispatched to a home that had been broken into off of Anderson County Road 3030. The owner of the home had left for work and returned home to find that her home had been ransacked and her television, a shotgun, and jewelry had been stolen. Several hours later Trooper Folmar with the Texas Department of Public Safety noticed during a traffic stop that Shapley was in possession of several items matching the description of the items taken. In addition, Henderson County investigators were notified by Smith County detectives that Shapley had confessed to several other burglaries where tools, flatware, jewelry, guns, and other items had been stolen.

Assistant District Attorney Jenny Palmer credited the work of law enforcement who worked through multi-agency cooperation to make sure that Shapley was taken off the streets of Henderson County.

Shapley had prior convictions for drug offenses and a conviction for federal firearms violations. Shapley was ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

First Assistant District Attorney Mark Hall credited the work of the agencies that collaborated to catch and successfully prosecute Shapley.

“District Attorney McKee and I are very pleased with the sentences in these cases,” said Hall. “Most burglars don’t limit their crimes to one county. Sheriff Nutt and our DAs office have successfully worked with other agencies over the past five years to break up many burglary rings and put away career criminals such as Shapley. I’m extremely proud of the work in this case.”