photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections

Joshua Scott Carpenter

A Topeka man pleaded no contest Tuesday to theft and burglary charges in Douglas County District Court.

Joshua Scott Carpenter, 33, was originally charged with nine counts of theft, four counts of burglary and one count of fleeing from a law enforcement officer. Seven of the charges were felonies, and seven were misdemeanors relating to incidents on July 10 to July 14, 2021.

Over the course of a few days Carpenter is alleged to have stolen two cars, headphones, a Coach bag, a stethoscope, dog food, socks, a rug and various other items, according to charging documents.

Carpenter pleaded no contest to one count of theft for one of the automobiles, one count of burglary of a motor vehicle and one count of fleeing from an officer, all felonies.

Judge Amy Hanley said that each charge had a possible sentence of five to 17 months and since Carpenter was on federal parole when he committed the crimes that each sentence would run consecutively to any prison time Carpenter already has.

Carpenter was convicted in federal court in Kansas of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being in possession of stolen mail.

Carpenter’s arrest came as a result of cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Douglas County, said George Diepenbrock, a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

“We had requested notification to serve the warrant once he completed serving on his federal charges. Deputies picked him up from the Federal Bureau of Prisons custody in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in April,” Diepenbrock said.

Carpenter’s defense attorney, Dakota Loomis, said that Carpenter was here on an Interstate Agreement Detainer and would be returning to federal custody after he was sentenced but would remain in the Douglas County Jail until then.

Carpenter has an extensive criminal history in Kansas with multiple convictions for theft in Jackson County and convictions for theft, forgery and possession of a firearm in Shawnee County.

After the hearing, Carpenter was returned to the Douglas County Jail. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 18.

Editor’s note: This story has been revised to correctly reflect Carpenter’s federal charges.