A Wichita, Kansas, man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison after a crime spree targeting churches, massage and therapy businesses, and an animal clinic.
Stephen Rowell, 49, was sentenced Friday for 11 burglaries in Wichita, Goddard, Maize and Mulvane over four months last summer, The Wichita Eagle reported. He targeted Bridgeport Missionary Baptist Church and New Hope Bible Church in the spree in which he stole money and peaches, as well as damaged the properties.
Photo of Stephen Rowell by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.
Riverside Christian Church was also robbed of money, electronics, food and a money card Rowell used to buy a minibike, cigarettes and groceries. The theft affected the church’s ability to livestream its services because of the stolen electronics.
Keys, business account information, a manicure set, hair products and other personal items were stolen from other businesses.
The police departments in the affected areas and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office worked together to identify the suspect. Security camera footage and DNA evidence from one of the crime scenes led investigators to Rowell.
KWCH 12 News posted about his sentencing on Facebook, with several users making jokes about the suspect’s appearance. Other commenters took a more serious tone.
“Why [do] thieves get more time than peds and murder[er]s?” one person wrote, noting Rowell’s 11-year sentence is longer than some recent penalties for child sex crimes and murder.
“Always been that way in Kansas, it sends the message material goods outweigh children,” another person wrote in response.
Rowell pleaded guilty to 11 counts of burglary last month. Several counts of theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal damage to property and criminal use of a financial card were subsequently dropped, the Eagle reported.
He was under supervision by the Kansas Department of Corrections when he committed the burglary spree, so his 11-year sentence will run consecutively to his previous convictions.
“This means Rowell must finish serving his time for his prior crimes before the new 11-year term begins,” the Eagle reported.
He’s also required to pay more than $28,000 in restitution to the victims.
