Kansas City man faces 10 new felony charges after Brookside business break-ins
Prosecutors have filed a swath of new charges against a 25-year-old man accused of a series of burglaries in Kansas City going back to late last month.
Javaune Tucker, of Kansas City, is now charged with 10 new felonies in Jackson County Circuit Court: two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of unlawful possession of an illegal weapon, one count of first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, and six counts of second-degree burglary.
Tucker was originally charged last week with a count of first-degree property damage following a series of break-ins at a group of businesses in Brookside.
Hannah Lomax-Vogt, the defense attorney assigned to Tucker’s case, declined to comment Tuesday.
Kansas City police linked Tucker to a burglary at a smoke shop Feb. 26 in which display cases were shattered and marijuana products, cash registers and a pistol were stolen, according to court documents. Surveillance video showed four suspects arrive in a Jeep that police determined was stolen from a location in Belton.
Police found the Jeep in Kansas City, and with the owner’s authorization, investigators placed a GPS tracker on the vehicle.
Police tracked the vehicle to the location of an early-morning burglary March 1 in which multiple people arrived at a business and shattered the front door but didn’t take anything.
The Jeep eventually moved to a hotel, and Tucker could be seen on surveillance video getting out and going inside, according to court documents.
Police determined there had been five burglaries early that morning, and the GPS tracker placed the stolen Jeep at each of the burglaries at the time, according to court documents. Surveillance footage from the businesses showed one suspect wearing the same clothes Tucker had on when he went in the hotel, police said.
Tucker was arrested that morning with two firearms in a bag and a universal key fob that could be used to access the stolen Jeep, police said. Investigators found a cash register in the vehicle that was stolen from the smoke shop. Body armor plates were also found in the vehicle.
Investigators interviewed Tucker, and he allegedly admitted to knowing the Jeep was stolen and that he had committed the burglaries, according to court documents.
Police found texts on his phone indicating he was attempting to sell the firearms. Investigators found one of the weapons had a device that would convert it from semiautomatic to automatic fire, police said in court documents.
“As we continue to work to protect Jackson County’s business community from those who repeatedly break the law, I am proud to announce additional charges in a burglary spree that has affected multiple businesses in our community,” Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, a small number of repeat offenders cause the majority of the harm in our community, causing trauma, financial hardships, and inconveniences for far too many.
“We expanded our Crime Strategies Unit to stop incidents just like this one, identifying patterns of criminal behavior and ensuring repeat offenders face appropriate charges to prevent them from continuing to victimize our community.”
