Thursday, May 29, 1997
Man sentenced for burglaries to obtain drugs
A man who said he's been addicted to painkillers since his
early 20s went to prison for 10 years Tuesday for breaking into
homes and stealing drugs from medicine cabinets.
Jay Arnold Arey, 37, told District Judge John Weeks his addiction
started when he injured his knee 15 years ago and was given regular
injections.
"I've never been able to control it very long," he
said, responding to questions from his defense attorney, Ed Paynter.
Arey was placed in probation for four years in 1995 for attempting
to forge a prescription to obtain drugs.
While on probation he was accused of breaking into five homes
to get painkillers. He told Paynter he only broke into the homes
to steal from medicine cabinets, though Assistant District Attorney
Tamara Osborne said there was evidence he also had taken cash
during the burglaries.
Arey pleaded guilty to two of the burglaries; the three other
burglary charges were dismissed as part of the plea bargain. Weeks
also revoked Arey's probation.
In his statements to the court, Arey said he realized he had
harmed people and hoped to be placed in a prison system rehab
program. He said the six months he's already spent in jail since
his arrest for the burglaries has been a start.
"It's cleared my mind for the first time in a long time,"
he said.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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