FINALLY, CLOSURE ON A SIEGE OF BREAK-INS

One of the men who terrorized Cape Girardeau residents in 1996 by breaking into the homes of elderly people, sometimes threatening them with a knife and hitting one man with a board in his efforts to steal money, will spend the next 15 to 20 years of his life where he belongs: in the state penitentiary.

Tyrone Walker, 23, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree robbery and one count of attempted robbery in connection with four such break-ins. The prosecutor reduced the charges in exchange for the guilty pleas, knowing that Walker already was facing a 25-year prison sentence from a similar charge in New Madrid County and that he will spend 60 to 80 percent of the 25 years behind bars because he is a prior and persistent offender.

Walker and an accomplice who also has pleaded guilty triggered deep fears among many elderly Cape Girardeau residents who worried that their homes might be next. Unlike burglars, who prey on houses whose owners are away, these culprits preferred to enter occupied homes and under armed threats steal from their victims.

So bad was the threat of these men that Southeast Missouri Crime Stoppers was formed in an effort to bring them to justice. It was through Crime Stoppers that anonymous tips were made leading to their arrests and convictions. And the area will continue to see the benefits of Crime Stoppers as one more tool in the fight against crime.

It shows that the system works and can work swiftly through a program like Crime Stoppers.