Man Gets Five Years in Burglary Case

ATHENS — Henderson County authorities report that Zackery Childers, 19, of Kemp, was recently sentenced to 5 years in prison for a 2013 burglary of a habitation. The investigation began when Sheriff’s Deputy Jodie Sorrells responded to a call that a young man had been seen driving an allegedly stolen lawnmower into the woods.

After making contact with a local resident, Sorrells established that the lawnmower had been taken from a nearby garage at a house that was for sale. The fence leading to the garage had been cut and the garage door was partially opened. Deputy Sorrells noticed that forced entry had been made to the home due to significant damage to a door jamb. Household items were scattered throughout the residence, cabinet doors were open, and it was obvious that someone had gone through the entirety of the home, according to officials.

Sorrells then made contact with neighbors who had stated that they saw Childers riding the stolen lawnmower. They told the deputy that the day before, Childers had offered to pay them to help him move items that had been stolen from the home. Contact was made with Childers later that day. Ultimately, he was arrested for outstanding warrants out of Kaufman County and told Sorrells that he didn’t know anything about the lawnmower. After making the arrest, Sorrels returned to the victim’s residence and was able to obtain multiple fingerprint lifts throughout the house. One of the fingerprints, taken from a bowl in the kitchen of the burglarized home, matched Childers’s left thumb.