JONESBORO — A man is facing felony theft charges after Jonesboro police say a stolen library employee’s keys were found concealed in a restroom stall.
Patrick Anthony Osborne, who has a previous felony conviction, was arrested after an investigation into the theft of property valued at $1,000 or less, a Class D felony, according to court records.
Police responded to the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library on Aug. 20 following a report from an employee who said he had left his keys on a restroom counter. When he returned, the keys were missing, as noted in a probable cause affidavit.
The employee identified Osborne as the only person to enter the restroom after the keys were left. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Osborne leaving that restroom with the keys and entering another restroom.
Officers located Osborne in the second restroom inside a locked stall. After waiting for him to emerge, police detained him. Although Osborne was searched, authorities initially did not find the missing keys. A subsequent search of the stall revealed the employee’s key fob hidden inside a ball of toilet paper, police said.
Investigators verified the fob belonged to the employee when it successfully started his vehicle. According to the affidavit, Osborne reportedly attempted to apologize to the employee following his arrest.
Osborne had previously pleaded guilty to residential burglary and theft charges on May 12 in Craighead County Circuit Court. His bond was initially set at $3,500 cash or surety but later increased to $10,000, referencing his recent felony conviction.
The charge Osborne now faces carries a potential sentence of up to six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. He is scheduled to appear in court again at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 30.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.