Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “Twelve years may seem like a long sentence for a burglary that only netted $200, but this man has a criminal history dating back more than 30 years that includes attempted kidnapping. When a career criminal has not learned his lessons from prior brushes with the law, it is time to get serious when it comes to punishment.”

According to Zahnd, on February 8, between 7:50 and 8:20 p.m., Beals walked into a home in the Monticello subdivision in Platte County. He found a purse on the kitchen counter and walked out before anyone noticed him. Beals took approximately $200 and some other small items out of the purse and left the purse on a patio.

About the same time, the victim’s sister, who lives in a nearby house, was told by her son that a strange man was riding his bike. The victim’s sister confronted a man later identified as Beals. Beals returned the bike and helped load the bike into her vehicle.

The victim then reported the crime to the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, and her sister gave a description of the man on the bike.

On February 10, 2006, a deputy with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department stopped Beals because he matched the description given by the victim’s sister. Beals was arrested on an outstanding municipal warrant. Beals was questioned and admitted taking the money. He said told investigators he was “homeless and broke.”

Zahnd said, “When I considered how to deal with this defendant, I did not look only at what he had done in this particular case. I looked at his track record. This man has a rap sheet that goes back three decades, so an especially long sentence seemed justified.”