18 Year Prison Sentence for Cherokee County Burglary

A Spartanburg man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he admitted to burglarizing a Cherokee County home.

Johnny M. Kinder, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary Monday afternoon at the Cherokee County Courthouse. He will serve 80 percent of Circuit Judge Mark Hayes’ prison sentence before he is eligible for release.

Kinder broke into a Union Highway home on June 24, 2009. He admitted to taking a camera and other assorted tools and pawning the stolen property that same day at a Spartanburg County pawn shop. A surveillance camera at the victim’s home captured Kinder and another person loading the stolen items into a black Pontiac.
Three days after the burglary, Cherokee County deputies stopped a Pontiac that matched the description of the car caught on the surveillance camera. The driver and the passenger fled the traffic stop on foot. Investigators determined the car was stolen out of Spartanburg County and it carried a license plate that was supposed to be on another car owned by Kinder. Kinder’s wallet was also found inside the stolen vehicle. The wallet contained Kinder’s identification card.

Deputies also identified Kinder on the surveillance video of the pawn shop. Kinder’s prior criminal record contained multiple convictions for property offenses.