Austin Man Gets 60 Years In Prison For Burglaries

AUSTIN, TX — A man was sentenced to 60 years imprisonment this week after pleading guilty to a string of burglaries targeting local businesses.

Frank Flores entered guilty pleas to six counts of Burglary of a Building, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each case, according to a press advisory issued by District Attorney Margaret Moore. At the time of the plea, the defendant had 17 burglary cases pending in the 331st District Court, the DA noted. Jury selections in one of those cases had begun when the defendant decided to plead guilty, according to the DA.

During the months of August and September of 2018, the defendant burglarized multiple businesses around Austin and Travis County. At least four of the businesses were burglarized more than once. The defendant, who struck in the early morning hours, targeted convenience stores, restaurants, dry cleaners and a real estate office.

In each case, the defendant drove a blue GMC Terrain which he backed up to the door of the business. The defendant consistently wore a black hoodie, black pants, white shoes and gray/black gloves. He was observed on multiple surveillance videos smashing the door glass with a hammer, making entry and then stealing cash drawers, safes, cigarettes, loose change and other items of value.

In October, Austin Police patrolling the South Austin area in the early morning hours saw a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle seen at the burglaries. It was leaving the parking lot of a gas station that was closed for business at that hour. The officer ran the plate which revealed a warrant for the driver's arrest.

Flores was arrested for the warrant. At the time of his arrest, the DA noted, he was wearing identical white shoes and black pants to those seen in surveillance videos. The vehicle was searched and police discovered an identical black hoodie, gloves, hammers and pry bars along with multiple license plates equipped with Velcro. The license plate on the vehicle also was equipped with Velcro as well to allow the quick exchange of plates before and after each burglary. Subsequent investigation revealed the defendant's cell phone was at or near multiple burglary locations around the times the burglaries were committed.

The defendant pleaded guilty to burglarizing Woody's Country Market, The Bread Basked, Petro Mart, Thai Cuisine, Café Java and Steiner Cleaners.

"The prosecution team of James Booher and Abbey Fowler are appreciative of the hard work and collaborative efforts of the Austin Police Department Burglary Unit and the Travis County Sheriff's Office in bringing the defendant to justice," Moore said in a statement.