Two Lawrence residents have been charged in connection with a burglary and use of a stolen financial card over the weekend.

Billy Joe Johnson, 38, and Amanda Irene Dillingham, 27, allegedly stole a purse from an unlocked residence in the 700 block of East 1100 Road south of Lawrence while the residents inside were asleep on Saturday night, said Sgt. Kristen Dymacek, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The two then allegedly stole a Volkswagen from the driveway.

Dymacek said that Johnson and Dillingham then used credit cards from the stolen purse at several Lawrence businesses. She said they were recognized at a business on Sunday and were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary, criminal use of a financial card and possession of stolen property. The vehicle was returned to its owner. HyVee, Kwik Shop and Walgreens are the businesses cited as witnesses in court documents.

In Johnson’s first court appearance Tuesday, he was charged with aggravated burglary, burglary of a motor vehicle, five counts of felony theft and three counts of criminal use of a credit card.

Douglas County Assistant District Attorney Katy Britton told Judge Pro Tem James T. George that Johnson has an extensive criminal history, including several felonies, and was on parole with the Kansas Department of Corrections as of a few days prior to the alleged incident.

Britton said Johnson had been arrested 15 times in Douglas County since 2011. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to serve up to 250 months, or almost 21 years.

Dillingham is charged with three counts of felony theft, having been convicted of theft two or more times previously, and one count of criminal use of a financial card.

Britton said Dillingham had been arrested five times in Douglas County since 2012 for failures to appear in court and has previously been convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. She has also had a status of “absconder” with the Kansas Department of Corrections since September.

If convicted, she could be sentenced to serve a maximum of 63 months, or just more than five years.

Johnson is being held on a $75,000 bond, and Dillingham is being held on a $30,000 bond. If either is able to make bond, they are not to have contact with each other or with any victims or witnesses in the case.

In regards to his bond, Johnson said in court it “seems real high, but (there’s) nothing I can say about that.”

Both Johnson and Dillingham are scheduled to appear in court again at 2 p.m. Thursday. George appointed Lawrence attorneys Jim Rumsey to represent Johnson, and Skip Griffy to represent Dillingham.