Pittsburg Aggravated Assault and Burglary Convictions
By: Jeremiah Cook
Updated: March 1, 2013
CRAWFORD COUNTY, KS--- Crawford County Attorney, Michael Gayoso, Jr. reports that Thursday, after
less than three hours of deliberations, a Crawford County, Kansas
jury convicted Artiss Rollins III, 26 of Pittsburg of aggravated robbery and
aggravated burglary after a 2 day trial.
The crimes occurred on April 28, 2012 around 11PM. Rollins, along with Mitchell Owens, 19 of Kansas City, MO and Stephen Dibble, 25 of Pittsburg forced themselves into a residence at the 1100 block of Elm Street in Pittsburg with the intent to steal guns.
Owens and a resident in the home got into a physical altercation during the robbery and the resident was injured. The three individuals fled the home without any weapons but left with an Xbox 360 gaming console. Owens was arrested shortly after the incident after being found in a nearby apartment complex hiding in a closet. Dibble was arrested on April 29th at a different location and the Xbox was found in a bag at his feet. Rollins was present with Dibble at his arrest but was released at that time because he had not been positively identified as the third suspect.
On May 2, 2012 Owens positively identified Rollins in a photo lineup and Rollins was arrested a few days later after being seen walking the streets of Pittsburg. At the time of Rollins' arrest he provided a fake name and date of birth to law enforcement. A State's witness also testified that on the night of the crimes, Rollins and Dibble were hiding in the same apartment complex Owens was located in and were pleading with her not to tell law enforcement of their presence. Owens testified during Rollins' trial. Owens, pursuant to an agreement with the State, was convicted of aggravated burglary on July 30, 2012 and was sentenced on September 13, 2012 to 34 months imprisonment for his offense. At the time of Owens' sentencing, the State recommended that he serve his prison sentence, but the Court placed him on probation because he had no criminal history. He is currently facing a probation revocation for failing to maintain contact with his probation officer and is in custody. Dibble is serving a total of 7 years in prison for his conviction of aggravated burglary stemming from this event and prior probation revocations.
The crimes occurred on April 28, 2012 around 11PM. Rollins, along with Mitchell Owens, 19 of Kansas City, MO and Stephen Dibble, 25 of Pittsburg forced themselves into a residence at the 1100 block of Elm Street in Pittsburg with the intent to steal guns.
Owens and a resident in the home got into a physical altercation during the robbery and the resident was injured. The three individuals fled the home without any weapons but left with an Xbox 360 gaming console. Owens was arrested shortly after the incident after being found in a nearby apartment complex hiding in a closet. Dibble was arrested on April 29th at a different location and the Xbox was found in a bag at his feet. Rollins was present with Dibble at his arrest but was released at that time because he had not been positively identified as the third suspect.
On May 2, 2012 Owens positively identified Rollins in a photo lineup and Rollins was arrested a few days later after being seen walking the streets of Pittsburg. At the time of Rollins' arrest he provided a fake name and date of birth to law enforcement. A State's witness also testified that on the night of the crimes, Rollins and Dibble were hiding in the same apartment complex Owens was located in and were pleading with her not to tell law enforcement of their presence. Owens testified during Rollins' trial. Owens, pursuant to an agreement with the State, was convicted of aggravated burglary on July 30, 2012 and was sentenced on September 13, 2012 to 34 months imprisonment for his offense. At the time of Owens' sentencing, the State recommended that he serve his prison sentence, but the Court placed him on probation because he had no criminal history. He is currently facing a probation revocation for failing to maintain contact with his probation officer and is in custody. Dibble is serving a total of 7 years in prison for his conviction of aggravated burglary stemming from this event and prior probation revocations.
Owens is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3rd and he remains in custody.
He is a criminal history B under the Kansas sentencing guidelines which is the
second worse criminal history a defendant can have. He is facing a maximum of
19 years in prison on the aggravated robbery and 34 months on the aggravated
burglary.
"We have been seeing a number of robberies and burglaries in Crawford County and they appear to be getting more violent. This case is extremely concerning because these defendants were looking for weapons. We are pleased with the outcome of the trial and will continue to work diligently to hold these defendant's accountable for their crimes" Gayoso stated.
Gayoso also thanked and noted the excellent work of the Pittsburg Police Department in their role during the investigation and quick arrest of all 3 defendants.
Artiss Rollins III
Mitchell Owens
Stephen Dibble
"We have been seeing a number of robberies and burglaries in Crawford County and they appear to be getting more violent. This case is extremely concerning because these defendants were looking for weapons. We are pleased with the outcome of the trial and will continue to work diligently to hold these defendant's accountable for their crimes" Gayoso stated.
Gayoso also thanked and noted the excellent work of the Pittsburg Police Department in their role during the investigation and quick arrest of all 3 defendants.
Artiss Rollins IIIMitchell OwensStephen DibbleReaders Feel...
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