SPARTANBURG COUNTY MAN RECEIVES 20-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY

A Spartanburg County man received a 20-year prison sentence today after he admitted to breaking into an Arcadia home and stealing several guns, knives, electronic equipment and a classic car.

Ricky W. Lowery, 42, pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary and grand larceny before Circuit Judge Mark Hayes. He will serve 85 percent of the prison sentence before he is eligible for release.

The burglary victim, Charles Hunt, of Arcadia, reported the crime at his Arcadia home on Aug. 6. Hunt told sheriff’s deputies that he returned home from an out-of-town trip and discovered the back door of his home had been pried open. The stolen property included a 1982 Chevrolet Corvette that contained a new engine and stock aluminum wheels.

During the investigation, deputies discovered that Lowery sold some of the stolen property at a Woodruff business.

Four days after the crime, deputies spotted Lowery driving the stolen car on Kilgore Bridge Road. When deputies attempted to make a traffic stop, Lowery sped away and wrecked the car on Hatchett Road. Lowery climbed out of the wrecked car and led deputies on a short foot pursuit and tried to hide in a barn before he was arrested, according to Principal Deputy Solicitor Barry Barnette.

Lowery’s criminal record spans nearly 25 years with multiple convictions for housebreaking, grand larceny, driving under the influence and drug offenses.

“Good police work put this career criminal out of business for a long time,” Barnette said.