Garage burglar receives 30-year sentence

A 41-year-old Fort Worth man pleaded guilty to burglarizing three Aledo homes and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in court in Weatherford last week.

In August of 2021, Leonard Demond Green entered the open garage door of each of the three homes, entered an unlocked vehicle parked in the garage, and stole a purse from each.

“The case was solved when the Parker County Sheriff’s Office posted a picture of Mr. Green and a woman using credit cards taken from the stolen purses,” District Attorney Jeff Swain said.  “The following day, they received tips from both the Fort Worth and Benbrook Police Departments identifying the suspects.  Information sharing is so critical in modern law enforcement and it really paid off in this case.”

Under Texas law, an attached garage is considered part of the home to which it is attached and unauthorized entry into that area of a home to steal is considered burglary of a habitation, a second degree felony, Swain said.  Were the garage detached from the home, it would instead be burglary of a building, a state jail felony, which is a lower level offense.

“Mr. Green had multiple prior burglary of a habitation convictions, but the biggest sentence he ever received was 15 years,” Swain said.  “We wanted to make sure he understood that this was not something we would tolerate in Parker County.”

The woman caught on camera using the credit cards with Green pleaded guilty to three fraudulent use or possession of identifying information charges last October and was sentenced to 15 months in a state jail facility.

“We would encourage everyone to close their garage doors and lock their cars, even if they are only going to be inside their home for a few minutes,” Swain said.  “Most of the vehicle burglaries we see these days are done by opportunistic thieves who will move on if the car is locked.”

The case was handled in the 43rd  District Court, Judge Craig Towson presiding.