Serial burglar sentenced to over 10 years behind bars

Serial burglar sentenced to over 10 years behind bars

A woman accused of at least 17 separate burglaries, whom police arrested after a SWAT standoff, learned her sentence in court Tuesday.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A woman accused of at least 17 separate burglaries, whom police arrested after a SWAT standoff, learned her sentence in court Tuesday.

Investigators say Kellie Shugart went on a crime spree between May and August 2022.

Then, in August 2022, Albuquerque police arrested Shugart after she barricaded herself at an apartment complex near Louisiana and Montgomery.

Shugart faced 70 different charges and was accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from various metro businesses, including $12,000 in merchandise at one hair salon.

Shugart pleaded guilty to 34 of those charges as a part of a plea deal. Before her sentencing, she apologized.

“I truly am sorry to my victims and their loved ones, um, for any, for everything I’ve caused them. Second, I want to say I’m sorry to the community as a whole for making them feel unsafe,” she said.

Shugart faced more than 50 years behind bars. Instead, Judge Britt Baca Miller suspended some time to instead give Shugart a 10 1/2-year sentence.

After her release, she will also have to spend five years on probation and pay back over $70,000 in restitution.

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