Three Scott County men sentenced for fire damage during burglary attempt

Three Scott County men pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of malicious damage by fire.

Joshua Lee Dennis, 24; Anthony L. Rogers, 28; and Rondall L. Rogers, 32, each entered pleas of guilty to one felony count of the charge before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey, according to a news release from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway.

Each now faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, but not more than 20 years, a fine of not more than $250,000 or both. The court may also impose a period of supervised release of at least two years but not more than three years. Sentencing is set for April 14 in Cape Girardeau.

With their pleas, Dennis, Anthony Rogers and Rondall Rogers admitted they burglarized Constructions Trailer Specialists Inc. on May 5, 2008, at about 10:30 p.m. with the intent to steal scrap aluminum. Dennis had a key to the building and used that key to make entry. After all three men loaded about 300 pounds of scrap aluminum on Dennis' truck, they located a double-door safe in the office area of the business. They obtained an acetylene tank and torch from the shop as well as paint masks to avoid breathing the smoke and fumes while using the cutting torch to open the safe.

The cutting action of the torch caused smoke to build up, eventually starting a fire and causing the sprinkler system to activate. While Anthony Rogers was cutting on the safe, Dennis and Rondall Rogers aided by serving as lookout. When the sprinkler system activated, the three men feared police and fire personnel would respond so they departed the building for one hour. After they determined that neither the police nor the fire department were summoned, the men returned to the scene and only Anthony Rogers went back inside the building to finish the safe burglary at 3 a.m. May 6, 2008.

Upon discovery by an owner of the business, the Fire Division of Sikeston's Department of Public Safety sounded its alarm at 4:26 a.m. and arrived at the location at 4:32 a.m. The first crew got the fire under control upon arrival and shut off the sprinkler system.

At 4:50 a.m. detectives from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety were also dispatched to the Construction Trailer Specialists site to investigate the suspected burglary in connection with the structure fire. After interviewing witnesses and using photographic lineups, the suspects were referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for indictment on federal charges.

Construction Trailer Specialists Inc. manufactures semi-trailers that are shipped all over the United States in interstate commerce. The business is insured by Travelers Insurance Co., through which a claim for an excess of $40,000 was made as a result of the fire, smoke and water damage caused the incident on May 5 and 6, 2008.