ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A Buncombe County man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of larceny after breaking or entering, and one count of attempted larceny, according to the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.
Randal Paul Penland Jr. was accused of targeting older women in the Fairview and Arden areas, waiting until they were not home, then breaking into their homes to steal jewelry, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Randal Paul Penland Jr. (N.C. Department of Adult Correction)
Detectives executed a search warrant on a home on Concord Road in Asheville on Sept. 29, 2023, and found stolen property on site, the news release said.
Penland, who was on parole, was charged as a habitual felon. He was charged with six counts of felony breaking and entering, three counts of felony larceny after breaking and misdemeanor larceny in the string of breaking and enterings, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said in the release.
Because he was on parole, Penland was transferred back to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction to complete the remainder of his sentence from a habitual felon conviction in 2014.
This week, Pendland was sentenced to serve between 40 to 75 months in prison.