Cantonment Man Gets 25 Years For Burglary

January 8, 2016

A Cantonment man awaiting trial for the burglary of the tax collector’s office in Molino has been sentenced to prison on unrelated burglary charges.

Markett Devon Simpkins, Sr., was sentenced by Circuit Judge John Miller to 25 years in state prison.  Simpkins was convicted by a Santa Rosa County Jury of two counts of burglary of a structure causing more than $1,000 damage to said structure, possession of burglary tools and resisting an officer without violence.

On November 24, 2014, officers from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Pensacola Police Department were conducting surveillance on individuals involved in a string of burglaries to businesses.  Those burglaries involved breaking into safes and ATM units.  The surveillance led officers to the Eglin Federal Credit Union ATM  located in the 8500 block of Navarre Parkway in the Soundview Plaza Shopping Center. Officers conducting surveillance saw three
individuals:  Simpkins, Noral Scott, and Donald Robinson enter the building at the Eglin Federal Credit Union ATM  while another suspect, Johnnie Lee, drove around as a lookout.

When officers converged on the building, they discovered the suspects had cut a hole in the wall and entered into an adjacent pet grooming business.  The three suspects, including Simpkins, were located in the attic of the pet grooming business and were removed by officers from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.  Several wires were cut on the outside of the building in an attempt to disarm the security system.  Additional damage was done to the walls, doors and ceilings of the businesses.

Simpkins has also been charged with three other burglaries in Santa Rosa County involving banks and ATMs.  Simpkins also has two pending cases in Escambia County for similar offenses.

Robinson was prevously sentenced to 10 years in prison ,and Scott is awaiting sentencing on February 18.

Simpkins was charged with burglary and criminal mischief property damage for their alleged roles in the Molino burglary. During the burglary, Simpkins and two co-defendants  allegedly attempted to disable the alarm system and used long pry bars to break open the doors of the Tax Collector’s Office in the Molino Community Complex on North Highway 95A. according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. Both the building and ATM suffered extensive damage.

Comments

One Response to “Cantonment Man Gets 25 Years For Burglary”

  1. Mike Amerson on January 8th, 2016 3:37 am

    Markett, you and Johnnie have gotten away with a lot of crimes that have caught up with both of you. It’s sad that not only do you have the most of your life to spend behind bars, but your families have lost someone they cared for and loved. Mike

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News