Teen convicted in Eudora gun shop burglary

One of the teens accused in the recent burglary of a Eudora gun shop — the only one charged as an adult — has been convicted for his role.

Stevan Rios, of Eudora, pleaded guilty and was convicted of one count of burglary and one count of theft of a firearm, both felonies, Thursday in Douglas County District Court. Rios was 18 at the time of his arrest.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutor Mark Simpson and Rios’ attorney, James Spies, agreed to recommend probation for him. Also in exchange for Rios’ guilty plea, the state dropped multiple other charges that he originally faced: two felony counts of contributing to a child’s misconduct and one misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property.

After convicting Rios, Judge Sally Pokorny scheduled his sentencing for Aug. 1.

The smash-and-grab-style break-in happened about 2:10 a.m. March 15 at Free State Guns and Tactical Weapons, 218 E. 20th St. in Eudora. According to charging documents, a total of nine guns — including models that are tactical style rifles and pistols — were taken.

Two boys, 15 at the time of the crime, were charged as juveniles, each with one count of burglary and nine counts of theft of firearms, all felonies, plus two counts of misdemeanor criminal damage to property. Their cases are still pending.

A tip, blood and fingerprints on broken display cases at the scene, plus shoe prints and ammunition dropped in a nearby field led Eudora police to the culprits, according to an affidavit prepared by police in support of Rios’ arrest.

Contact Journal-World public safety reporter Sara Shepherd

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