ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man, already on parole for several burglaries, is facing nearly 20 new counts of burglary for crimes spanning just a 10-month period.
According to a probable cause statement obtained from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to investigate a burglary at the Butler’s Pantry building on the morning of Sept. 30, 2021. An employee of White Box Catering, which was leasing space inside the building, arrived to find a door busted open and a computer missing from a side office.
Police reviewed surveillance footage and observed a man used a bar-like object to break a door window at White Box Catering after hours. The man reached through the hole in the door and opened the door from the inside. The man was seen leaving the catering business with the computer.
Eventually, investigators arrested John Starks III on Aug. 18, 2022, in connection with the burglary.
Police claim Starks admitted to the Butler’s Pantry break-in. The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office charged Starks with three counts of second-degree burglary, one count of second-degree property damage, and one count of stealing.
Starks, 53, has been tied to 14 other burglaries from Sept. 2021 through June 2022.
It’s been noted that Starks has several prior felony convictions for stealing, property damage, and burglary. Starks had been on parole following a conviction on Jan. 26, 2018. He was sentenced to 10 years in that case.