NEW ORLEANS — A man accused of stealing $31 worth of candy bars from a New Orleans store faces a king-size sentence: He could get 20 years to life in prison.
The New Orleans Advocate reports that 34-year-old Jacobia Grimes pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Orleans Parish prosecutors charged Grimes under a statute that boosts the alleged candy theft to a felony. The law applies to those who’ve been convicted of “theft of goods” at least twice before. Grimes has five prior theft convictions, making him a “quad” offender under the state’s habitual-offender law.
Grimes’ attorneys, Miles Swanson and Michael Kennedy, say his prior guilty pleas were for similar shoplifting attempts.
Grimes, who was released on bond, is due in court Wednesday.
