Cape County man pleads guilty to charges of burglary

A rural Cape Girardeau County man admitted he was a car thief and burglar when he pleaded guilty Tuesday in Jackson to three counts of felony stealing, three counts of second degree burglary and six motor vehicle violations.

Presiding Circuit Judge John Grimm sentenced Richard Ryan Gilmore, 29, to six concurrent five-year terms in prison and three concurrent six-month terms in Cape Girardeau County jail.

In late July, Gilmore led law enforcement on a two-hour chase through Cape Girardeau and southern Illinois because he knew he was the prime suspect in a July 12 burglary.

He drove a van he stole from his cousin, Ron Gilmore's, feed store in Jackson, taking police back and forth across the Mississippi River three times.

During the pursuit, Gilmore struck three police cars, one other car and ran several vehicles off the road while he was on Interstate 55 and southern Illinois highways before he was finally stopped on Interstate 57 in Missouri.