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BOLOGNA SANDWICH PRANK MOTIVE FOR WEEKEND BURGLARY

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 12:01 AM CST

An alleged prank that involved breaking into a house on the west side of Pine Bluff to eat a sandwich, ended in the arrest of a man on burglary and theft charges Sunday.

Germaine Toney, 18, reportedly told police he and “another young man were going to play a prank on a relative by entering the house and eating a bologna sandwich.”

“The other young man didn’t want to eat a bologna sandwich, but took some jewelry instead, and I found (out) about it later and was going to return the jewelry but got arrested first,” Toney was quoted in an affidavit by police Detective Bill Wiegand.

Deputy Prosecutor Nicole Pugh said officers were sent to 3302 Tulip St., where Ashonda McKenzie reported that her house had been broken into and costume jewelry that had been in containers on the dresser was missing.

McKenzie reported that her son had come home at about 5 p.m. and saw Toney, who lived nearby, in the back yard of the house climbing out of a window, then going to his house.

Wiegand reported that the son didn’t initially tell his mother about seeing Toney because he feared retaliation from Toney, and said the son went through the house and didn’t see anything disturbed.

Pugh said officers went to Toney’s residence where a relative said Toney had gone to his grandmother’s, and his mother would be bringing him back.

A woman who identified herself as Toney’s aunt, said in court Monday that she was the one who picked him up and brought him back to the house.

Officers did make contact with Toney later. Wiegand reported that Toney had jewelry in his possession which McKenzie identified as belonging to her.

Pugh said Toney has two pending counts of theft by receiving stemming from separate incidents this year, but no prior convictions.

Circuit Judge Jodi Dennis set a $15,000 bond for Toney after ruling prosecutors had probable cause to charge him with residential burglary and theft of property.

In addition to setting the bond, the judge ordered Toney to have no contact with McKenzie or her son until the case is settled.

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