Four burglaries, two fires and two vehicle thefts in one day by one person make up the eight charges a Buckner man now faces after his arrest on Tuesday.
The Franklin County State's Attorney filed eight charges against Robert E. Hartley, 39, of Buckner on Wednesday in the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Benton. Seven of the charges are Class 2 felonies, and one stands as a Class 3 felony.
Taking the charges in order, the state's attorney alleges that on Friday, Hartley entered an unattached garage at a home on English Rose Lane in rural Benton with the intent to commit a theft. In the same garage, Hartley is believed to have started a fire that "knowingly damaged property." That's one count of burglary and one of arson.
Next, Hartley entered another unattached garage, this time at a home on Vanhorn Road in Benton. Again, he went in with the intent to steal something, and while there he started another fire, the state's attorney alleges. That makes it two counts of burglary and two of arson.
In the following charge, Hartley is believed to have broken into a 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup truck located on Bowling Alley Road in Benton with the intent of taking it. And he did, the state's attorney alleges. Three counts burglary, two arson and one theft.
Finally, Hartley is said to have broken into a third unattached garage, this time at a home on Leisure Lane in Benton, and took a 1999 Arctic Cat ATV, according to the state's attorney. Since the estimated value of the ATV is less than $10,000, the final theft charge is listed as a Class 3 felony.
All told, then, four counts of burglary, two of arson and two of theft in a string of incidents on Friday.
Hartley was arrested on Tuesday in connection with crimes and placed in Franklin County Jail under $200,000 bail.
