photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Byron Parker Aston, pictured July 23, 2019

A man who stands accused in two grease theft incidents is back in Douglas County District Court this week after recently missing hearings in his case.

Byron P. Aston, 29, of Springfield, Mo., was first charged Feb. 27 with low-level felony theft for allegedly stealing more than a ton of used cooking grease from bins behind three downtown Lawrence restaurants.

In a second case, prosecutors allege that Aston came back to Lawrence for a court hearing and afterward stole grease and a grease bin from another downtown restaurant. Police say they also found a modified shotgun and a stolen rifle in his truck. Aston was charged July 22 with misdemeanor theft, driving while suspended and a low-level felony count of criminal use of weapons.

As the Journal-World reported in March, grease theft is a problem that has been likened to theft of scrap metal. Companies can make money off of converting used grease into biodiesel products through processing plants.

In a financial affidavit in his case, Aston wrote that he is self-employed in the field of recycling.

photo by: Sara Shepherd

Grease bins, where restaurants dispose used cooking oil, are pictured in downtown Lawrence on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

Aston pleaded not guilty in both cases, and he was released from the jail on a $15,000 surety bond, court records indicate. The first case was set for trial Nov. 6; however, he missed a court date in August and the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest, court records show.

Aston was arrested on the warrant Nov. 5 at the Cole County, Mo., Jail, the Douglas County Jail booking log shows. Online Missouri court records indicate he had been arrested by Jefferson City, Mo., police, and he’d served a 30-day sentence in a misdemeanor theft case there.

Aston appeared in court via video from the jail Tuesday morning, and his appointed defense attorney, Dakota Loomis, told the judge he still needed to meet with Aston to discuss their next steps. Loomis said he was hoping to resolve both cases as soon as possible.

Aston’s next court hearing was scheduled for Dec. 3. He was in the custody of the Douglas County Jail as of Tuesday afternoon, and his bond is set at $10,000 cash or surety in the first case and $20,000 in the second, jail records show.

In Aston’s first case, investigators calculated that the stolen grease would have been worth 28 cents per pound based on that day’s market value for a total of $569, the Journal-World reported. In the second case, investigators estimated that grease stolen from the grease bin was worth $146 and the bin itself was valued at $690, according to the affidavit.

In each case, Aston was charged along with a co-defendant — both Springfield, Mo., men. One was granted diversion and the other is currently serving probation in connection with the alleged grease thefts.