Walker gets shock incarceration, probation

FARMINGTON — A Bonne Terre man will have to spend some time in jail but he won’t be going to prison.

On Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Scott E. Thomsen placed Christopher L. Walker, 33, of Bonne Terre, on five years of supervised probation for second-degree burglary. The judge ordered him to serve 60 days of shock incarceration in the jail on weekends and to complete his GED.

Walker had entered an Alford plea to the charge. By entering an Alford plea, he did not admit to any element of the charge.

According to court records, Walker and another man went into an abandoned house and began taking things. Walker said he was told the man had permission to be there. He said after a family member of the owner showed up and asked what they were doing, they put all of the items back.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jerrod Mahurin had asked the judge to sentence Walker to four years in prison because of the man’s criminal history. Walker had previous convictions for statutory sodomy, failure to register as a sex offender, driving while intoxicated and driving while revoked.

Mahurin said the man has had several chances to straighten up.

His attorney, Don Hager, pointed out Probation and Parole recommended probation for Walker. Most of the man’s previous convictions happened a decade ago. Probation would do Walker more good than prison, he said.

“You are getting a break here,” the judge said, warning him that with any new crime or probation violation, he would be going to prison for up to four years. “If you don’t have a valid license, don’t drive.”

The case was assigned to a judge out of the 24th Judicial Circuit because Walker’s attorney, Hager, has previously filed a complaint against the local judges.

Three other people were recently placed on probation after pleading guilty to St. Francois County charges.

Circuit Court Judge Sandy Martinez placed Antonio Walker, 32, formerly of Farmington, on one year of unsupervised probation for failure to register as a sex offender.

Walker was ordered to serve 45 days in the county jail but was credited for the time he has served. As part of his probation, he was ordered not to commit any new offenses.

Walker had been convicted of statutory sodomy in 1998 in St. Louis involving a child under the age of 10. Walker failed to register as a sex offender in St. Francois County in January.

Joseph Krebs, 38, of Cadet, was placed on five years of supervised probation for two counts of passing a bad check. If he violates his probation, he could be sentenced up to eight years in prison.

Jeffrey L. Forrester, 44, of Arnold, was placed on five years of supervised probation for fraudulent use of a credit device. He was ordered to serve 104 days in jail but was credited for time he has already served. If he violates his probation, he could be sentenced up to four years in prison.

Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.