Brown County Prosecutor’s case against Charles R. Knight III centered around surveillance video featuring distinctive neck and wrist tattoos.
Submitted
A former Chocolate Moose employee was recently sentenced to nearly eight years in prison after pleading guilty to a burglary at the local business last fall.
On April 28, Charles R. Knight III, 40, entered a guilty plea just before a four day jury trial was scheduled to begin on May 2.
The plea agreement called for Knight to plead guilty to two burglaries of his former employer, The Chocolate Moose, during the fall of 2021.
Prior to his sentence hearing on May 16, Knight tried to withdraw his plea agreement and the matter was reset for a hearing on May 19 to give him time to file a motion explaining why he he wanted to withdraw his plea, according to a press release from Prosecutor Ted Adams.
That motion was ultimately denied by Judge Mary Wertz. Knight was sentenced on May 19 to seven and a half years in the Department of Corrections. Adams had requested Knight be sentenced to the maximum eight year sentence allowed under the plea agreement.
Knight was already on parole for burglary and will serve at least an additional three years in the DOC for violating parole, bringing his total sentence to 10 and a half years, Adams said.
“The Chocolate Moose gave Mr. Knight a chance at stable employment while on parole, and this is how he repaid them,” Chief Deputy Prosecutor Rob Seet said.
He was also ordered to pay almost $6,500 in restitution.
“It is nice to see that The Moose will receive at least some compensation for their loss,” Seet said.
The plea agreement also called for Knight to admit he was an habitual offender, which is an enhancement that adds additional years onto an individual’s case for having a certain number of prior felony convictions.
In this case, the habitual offender enhancement would, by agreement, add an additional two years to a prison sentence, according to the press release.
Habitual offender enhancements are required to be served in prison.
“They are saved for the career felony offenders and those that pose a safety risk to our community,” Adams said.
“Mr. Knight checked both of those boxes. He has a lengthy, serious criminal history for similar conduct and for victimizing our own community. Additionally, burglary is always a safety risk for our community and, I might add, for the burglar himself.”
The jury had already been called and the court prepared for the week long jury trial when the prosecutor’s office received word from Knight’s attorney that he wanted to plead guilty.
“This case obviously impacted our tight-knit community. Our businesses deserve an atmosphere in which they can prosper and thrive and our citizens ought not be subjected to the sense of insecurity that comes with having been burglarized,” Seet said.
Adams complimented the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department for their investigation into the burglary.
“The Nashville Police Department did a fine job investigating this incident with the assistance of The Chocolate Moose management, all while undergoing significant changes in their department,” he said.
Chocolate Moose owner Justin Loveless and regional manager Aaron Biggs testified about the impact the burglary had on The Chocolate Moose and their employees.
Police were dispatched to the Chocolate Moose last October for a report of a break in. The store manager advised police he arrived and found the drive through glass had been broken into from the outside.
Surveillance footage of the incident showed an individual in a Halloween mask breaking into the building with a hammer. The suspect then walked back to the office and opened the safe with a code.
Knight was identified by tattoos and a particular walk by managers. Knight had been employed at the Chocolate Moose until he was fired in September last year.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Knight removed roughly $5,000 from the safe.
In November, police responded once again to the Chocolate Moose for another break-in. Security footage at that time showed an individual that the managers also recognized to be Knight.
According to the affidavit, Knight emptied cash register trays into his pockets then left the premises. He wore similar attire and entered in the same manner.
In November, $471 was stolen and the window cost $500 to fix, for a total of $971.
