Hospital burglar pleads guilty

Russellville resident Jared Chase Dollar, 31, who was arrested for breaking into the Russellville Hospital Oct. 7, pleaded guilty at his first hearing after being indicted by a grand jury in November, according to district attorney Joey Rushing.

Dollar was indicted on two counts of burglary third degree, possession of burglar tools, criminal mischief first degree, theft of property fourth degree, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, resisting arrest, attempted theft of property second degree and illegal possession of prescription medication.

“They treated it pretty seriously because of the disruption of the hospital and the patients,” Rushing said.

Dollar pleaded guilty to burglary third degree concurrent with his probation revocation, Rushing said. The suspect received a 156-month (13 year) sentence. He did not plead guilty to charges in relation to his alleged theft of an I.D. from a home located not far from the Russellville Hospital earlier that night.

After the arrest and initial investigation into the case, Russellville Police Department Sgt. Jake Tompkins said that “a woman called and reported that her home had been broken into. When we got there, she confirmed that the items we found in Dollar’s possession were hers.”

RPD officers found those possessions in the storage room of the hospital where they first caught sight of Dollar climbing up into the ceiling of the hospital to escape. Officers then followed the suspect onto the roof of the hospital before he jumped off the roof and a foot chase ensued, according to Tompkins.

“We were able to catch him with the help of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office,” Tompkins said.