Already in jail for stealing cigarettes, Springfield man indicted for other Dollar General burglaries

A Springfield man already serving time in jail for stealing cigarettes from a local smoke shop has been indicted in connection to burglaries at area dollar stores.

Robert Walters, 44, was indicted on five counts of breaking and entering and one count of possessing burglary tools.

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Springfield police were investigating a rash of Dollar General store burglaries during which the suspect broke into the store and stole cigarettes. They connected those incidents to Walters after he burglarized the Just Smokes shop in Springfield.

“(The employee) got the cartons and set them down on the counter to start to ring un the transaction,” a police affidavit for the theft charge said. “As soon as she set them down the male grabbed both of the cartons and ran out the front door without even attempting to pay for them.”

After watching video surveillance from the incident at Just Smokes, Springfield police were able to identify Walters as a suspect and requested a warrant for his arrest, the affidavit says.

Walter pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, according to court records. Prosecutors announced he was indicted on five other counts of felony breaking and entering this week.

EXTRA: This Springfield man and 14 others were indicted in Clark County

Walters is the suspect in four Dollar General store break-ins that took place earlier this month. He is accused of breaking into the Dollar General on Home Road twice and stealing cigarettes.

“Both front sliding glass doors had the bottoms broken out and there appeared to be approximately 100 packs of cigarettes that were gone from behind the counter,” the affidavit filed in connection with the June 13 burglary says. “The approximate total for the cigarettes was $700.”

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At least two other Dollar Generals were broken into two weeks ago, according to Springfield police reports, and cigarettes were also taken from them.

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