Lenoir Man Sentenced To Minimum Six-Years In Prison

44-year-old Johnny Oscar Hawkins Jr. of Lenoir, will serve a prison sentence of six to nine years following his plea to three counts of obtaining property by false pretense and admission of habitual felon status. The Honorable Daniel A. Kuehnert, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, imposed terms of the plea arrangement during Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday, January 17.

Hawkins’ prison sentence length was enhanced because of prior felony convictions in Caldwell County for felony breaking/entering (September 2011), felony possession of stolen goods (February 2009) and obtaining property by false pretense (March 2003).

On three occasions between July 14, 2021, and July 21, 2021, Hawkins went into a Hickory business, took items off the sales floor without paying for them and took them to the return counter in exchange for gift cards. The defendant was seen making the returns/exchanges to gain the gift cards on the store’s video surveillance system.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY