Serving all the communities of the Buckeye Lake Region

Hebron Police nab thief twice




HEBRON – Charles H. Morrison III, age 26, of Columbus, didn’t learn much serving nearly five years in prison for breaking into Buckeye Outdoors in 2008.

He was released from prison in January 2013 and soon returned to the scene of his crime. An employee found Morrison just before closing on March 20, 2013, with his legs hanging down from a bathroom ceiling. Morrison left the store after telling the employee he was doing duct work.

He and an accomplice, James A. Banks, age 24, of Marion, returned later that evening and broke into the store through a side door. Both were captured on video surveillance. They left the store with 18 guns.

After hours of reviewing the surveillance video and other evidence, Hebron Police Sergeant Rich Carson and other Hebron officers believed that Morrison had come back for another attempt. That evidence lead to search warrants for two residences used by Morrison and Banks where police recovered three of the stolen firearms, ammunition and tools that could be used to obliterate serial numbers on firearms.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents arrested the pair on April 20, 2013. They have been in custody since their arrest. Banks pleaded guilty last Sept. 23. Morrison did the same on Sept. 26. Each pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of stolen firearms, one count of possession of three firearms with obliterated serial number and unlawful burglary of a licensed firearm dealer.

Senior U.S. District Judge George C. Smith sentenced Morrison on Feb. 26, to 151 months in prison. Senior U.S. District Judge James L. Graham sentenced Banks to 50 months in prison on January 3.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *