A burglar was sentenced for a failed jewelry heist in Central Florida. The burglar did not get away with any gold or precious gems after he rammed a pickup truck through the entrance of a Lake Mary jewelry store. But he did cause about $8,000 in damage to the business.
And for that, a Seminole County jury convicted 29-year-old Lenell Barnes III of burglary of a structure with more than $1,000 in losses, a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison.
Prosecutors Joan Jean, Niko Smith and Domenick Leo presented jurors with store security video and testimony from police officers that proved Barnes was the ski-masked burglar who broke into Casa Leon Jewelers around 11:17pm on April 27, 2024. Carrying a hammer and yellow duffel bag, the burglar discovered the jewelry cases had been emptied by store staff and quickly fled in the truck…