By KENNETH HART — The Independent
Catlettsburg — Two men linked to a wave of burglaries in rural Boyd County neighborhoods this past fall were indicted Friday.
Boyd County grand jurors returned true bills charging Kyle R. Cornett, 20, of Ironville, and Jeffrey R. Shannon, 22, of Catlettsburg, with six counts each of burglary.
Two were arrested in November following a traffic stop less than half-mile from one of the homes that had been burglarized. According to Boyd County Sheriff Terry Keelin, the two were in a black Geo Tracker with a tan top, which had been on a “watch list” of vehicles police suspected were being used in break-ins.
Information on the vehicle was relayed to authorities through a pair of neighborhood watch meetings that were held by residents in October. Several residents said they’d seen the vehicle in their neighborhoods with two men inside.
One of the residents was able to provide the sheriff’s department with a license number for the vehicle.
Cornett and Shannon both have extensive criminal histories, which led some to question why they were on the streets and able to allegedly commit the break-ins.
Cornett and Shannon have been arrested a combined total of nine times within the last two years on charges ranging from receiving stolen property to burglary.
Keelin said Shannon has been arrested four times in Boyd County in the last two years on theft, receiving stolen property and burglary charges but he’s spent a total of 10 days behind bars.
Shannon was on unsupervised probation when he was arrested. Since 2008, Cornett has been arrested in Boyd County on six theft, receiving stolen property and burglary charges.
He pleaded guilty in June to two burglary charges, two theft charges and one count of receiving stolen property from four separate cases.
Cornett was given five years probation instead of a prison sentence that could have ranged from 13 to 35 years.
Cornett and Shannon both remained in the Boyd County Detention Center Friday. Each was being held under $50,000 bond, according to the jail’s Web site.
A grand jury indictment is a formal accusation of a crime and does not establish guilt.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
