A serial burglar accused of a spate of burglaries in office and business buildings that led Wichita police and property managers to warn tenants against keeping cash, gift cards and other valuables on-site has pleaded guilty of 23 felonies after his jury trial began this week, court records show.
A judge has set a tentative sentencing date of Feb. 28 after Robert James Anderson III’s admission on Tuesday ended a trial in which prosecutors sought to try him on 69 counts of burglary, mostly between late 2020 and late 2020. It’s early 2021. Anderson’s spree has plagued the city and surrounding areas for weeks, leading to at least 30 police complaints, court documents show.
Wichita Police, announcing his arrest on March 12, 2021, said that over the months Anderson had gotten away with a variety of credit cards, gift cards, hundreds of cash, tools, a 55-inch TV, a computer and other electronic devices, as well as personal information after opening doors, desks and locks.
Police found a cache of stolen goods tied to the burglarized properties at his Wichita home when he was caught, a department spokesman said at the time.
Anderson, 44, pleaded guilty to 18 counts of burglary and five counts of aggravated burglary, Sedgwick County District Court documents show. Prosecutors have dismissed dozens of other charges in return, according to his plea deal. He is facing prison time when he is convicted.
