A Brunswick County man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after being convicted of breaking and entering and property damage charges in New Hanover County Superior Court.
James Frederick Burriss, 42, was convicted of felony breaking and entering with the intent to commit a larceny and injury to real property by a New Hanover County jury on Thursday, according to District Attorney Ben David.
The incident took place at Campus Edge Apartments on Nov. 23, 2013. Burriss was charged with stealing a smart card machine, which residents use to put money on a card to use at the apartment complex’s laundry facilities.
The machine, which was never recovered, was estimated to have $2,000 inside, David said. A second person was believed to be involved in the theft but was never identified.
Superior Court Judge Doug Parsons sentenced Burriss as a habitual felon to 95-126 months in prison.
According to the N.C. Department of Corrections, Burriss has been convicted of 17 felonies, including common law robbery, possession of burglary tools, possession of a schedule I controlled substance, financial card fraud, exploiting an elderly or disabled adult, possession of burglary tools, breaking and entering to vending machines, breaking and entering, larceny, and obtaining property by false pretenses. He has been convicted of more than 50 misdemeanors.
“Under Structured sentencing, judges are required to give property offenders little jail time or even probation for these types of offenses,” David said. “However, for habitual felons like James Burriss, the judge is empowered to sentence the offender to time equal to that of an armed robber.
“We are very pleased that Mr. Burriss is off the street for the next decade and my office will continue to seek maximum justice against career criminals who continue to steal from people of this community.”
