Royal man charged in burglary
A Royal man has been charged in connection with Tuesday’s burglary at the American Legion after his mother, a club employee, recognized him.
Steven Shane Shirley, 28, who lists a Cricket Loop address, was taken into custody shortly before
5 p.m. Thursday and charged with felony counts of theft of property, punishable by up to six years in prison, and commercial burglary, punishable by up to 10 years. He remained in custody Friday in lieu of
$6,000 bond an is set to appear June 12 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, the club, located at 3237 Albert Pike Road, was burglarized by two males who stole about $1,400 in cash. Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Huckaba responded to the scene and made contact with
Shirley’s mother, the only employee working at the time of the incident.
She said she noticed two people coming in the door on the security camera. One was wearing a motorcycle helmet and the other had on what appeared to be a white sheet. After seeing them on the camera, she left the business through another door and remained outside until she thought they had left.
She said she believed one of the suspects was her son, identified as Shirley, noting she could tell by how he walked and his mannerisms. She also said Shirley would know where to get the money, and she had seen him earlier that day wearing a dark-colored shirt, light bluejeans and black shoes, similar to what the suspect with the sheet over his head was wearing.
Huckaba viewed the security video, which verified the employee’s account. The video showed that, at 9:17 p.m., two people dressed like she described entered the business, followed by her running out through a different exit. The two suspects then entered the bar area, and the one wearing the white sheet removed three bank bags from behind the bar. He then placed two bags back into the drawer, kept one, and then both suspects.
On Thursday, Huckaba interviewed Shirley, who allegedly said he was upset with his mother. He said he told a man he was staying with that he knew a place where they could “hit a lick,” which is slang for commit a robbery. He said they left a moped at a church across the street from the American Legion, walked across the street into a car dealership parking lot and then to a residence behind the club.
Once at the residence, he said he placed the white sheet over his face, and his accomplice put on the motorcycle helmet.