Gazebo Gazette
Mississippi Second Circuit Court District Attorney Joel Smith announced today 48 year-old Arthur William McMillan of Long Beach, pled guilty this week to Burglary of a Residence before Circuit Court Judge Larry Bourgeois at the Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport. After receiving the guilty plea, Judge Bourgeois sentenced the defendant to 25 years, with 7 suspended, leaving 18 years to serve in prison.
The investigation began at approximately 11:08 p.m. on November 21, 2016, when Gulfport Police Department officers responded to a burglary alarm call at the 82-year-old victim’s residence near Pass Road in East Gulfport. The victim, who was at home when the alarm sounded, went to investigate and observed a two-tone SUV in her driveway. Officers found the back door partially open and the victim discovered that her purse was missing. The victim stated that the vehicle she observed in her driveway appeared to be the same as McMillan’s, whom she had hired through an advertisement to do repair work on the same door that was found partially open. “Video surveillance in the victim’s home showed McMillan inside the residence while the victim investigated the alarm before calling police,” said Assistant District Attorney Billy Stage, who prosecuted the case.
Following the guilty plea and prior to imposing his sentence, Judge Bourgeois admonished McMillan for stealing from an 82-year-old victim that hired him to do work for her. The defendant had prior felony convictions for burglary in Virginia from 1986 and Aggravated Assault in Florida from 1994. Upon release from prison, he will be required to complete an additional 5 years of post-release supervision.
