Couple sentenced in storage thefts

A Winston County couple charged with multiple storage building thefts was finally sentenced Friday following a lengthy delay.

Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing said the case of Ralph Edwards, 44, and Kim Edwards, 39, both of 269 Chiggerhill Road in Hackleburg, has finally been laid to rest with both being convicted of six felonies each.

Authorities said the two are accused of breaking into storage facilities near the Lawrence Street and U.S. 43 intersection in Russellville on numerous occasions in August 2007.

Both pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 to three counts of first-degree theft of property and three counts of third-degree burglary.

Prosecutors said delays in the case arose when Ralph Edwards was injured in a four-wheeler accident.

Rushing said initially both received 15-year prison sentences for theft charges and 10-year prison sentences for the burglary charges that were to run back to back, but after a plea agreement Kim Edwards was released.

“We had to take multiple outside factors into consideration when coming to the plea agreement including childcare for the couple’s 9-year-old child,” Rushing said.

“(The Edwards’) attorney met with our office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Russellville Police Department to determine what was best in the case. Every department signed off on the plea agreement which still sentenced Mr. Edwards to serve 25 years in prison, but released Mrs. Edwards under the condition that she pay back $11,000 to the victims.”

Rushing said the final sentencing actually went far beyond the state guidelines for the charges, which recommend that people only serve probation as their punishment.

“With finalizing this case, there were about 17 break-ins solved as a result,” Rushing said. “We appreciate every department that helped us with the case and are happy with the outcome. We are satisfied that a plea agreement was reached and that Mr. Edwards was sentenced to prison as a result of his actions and held responsible for what he did.”