Home invasion draws 15-year prison sentence
A local man involved in a home invasion last year where he knocked the 85-year-old victim to the floor was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday after a one-day trial in Garland County Circuit Court.
Asher Chance White, 22, who has remained in custody since his arrest July 1, 2016, in lieu of $150,000 bond, had pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to a felony count of aggravated robbery but prosecutors opted to let a six-man, six-woman jury decide his sentence.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Joe Graham said the jury deliberated for about 45 minutes before recommending the 15-year sentence, and noted White will have to serve 70 percent, about 10 years and six months, before he is eligible for parole.
“That’s a substantial sentence for a young man,” he said, noting White had no prior criminal history and he thought the jury took that and his age into consideration in recommending the sentence.
White was originally charged with aggravated residential burglary and two counts of aggravated robbery because the home invasion involved the male victim, 85, and his wife, 84, but White agreed to plead guilty to one count of aggravated robbery, which is punishable by up to life in prison, so Graham said he withdrew the other charges.
“I didn’t feel like we were giving up anything,” he said, noting he had hoped for a longer sentence in light of the violence involved in the incident, but had not recommended a specific number to the jury in his closing remarks.
He said White had testified he was using methamphetamine heavily at the time of the incident and had been using the drug regularly
since he was 15 years old, noting he will “hopefully get clean” in prison.
According to the affidavit, on April 18, 2016, around 3 p.m., the victims stated two unknown white males had forced their way into their residence on Highway 290. One of the suspects was armed with a handgun and pushed the man and his wife to the floor, causing bruising and soreness. The suspects took money, two handguns and the man’s wallet.
On June 28, Garland County sheriff ’s investigators interviewed a juvenile suspect who reportedly admitted he took part in the April 18 robbery along with White, who was armed with the handgun when he forced his way in.
He said White hit the elderly male victim causing him to fall to the floor. The juvenile said he took two handguns and “accidentally ran through a glass door” while fleeing the residence. After they left, he said he saw White was in possession of the victim’s wallet.
On July 1, the victims were shown a photo lineup and both identified White as the gunman who had entered their home and pushed them to the floor.
Graham said the juvenile suspect had agreed to testify against White at trial, but since White pleaded guilty his testimony ultimately wasn’t necessary. He said the juvenile suspect’s case is still pending.