A Jackson County man recently received a 10-year prison term in connection with the theft of a gun, laptop computers and others items in the spring of 2014 from a home on Seymour’s south side.

Joseph Lynn Howard, 33, of Seymour received that sentence during a hearing in front of Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter.

The conviction is Howard’s fourth for burglary in Jackson County since October of 2000.

Howard was arrested by Seymour Officer Jacob Florine on May 22, 2014, as part of an investigation into a burglary reported by a man at a single-family residence in the area of Windhorst Court.

That man and his girlfriend, who owned the home, reported that a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber handgun, a Toshiba laptop computer, Acer laptop computer, a glass jar containing change, a trash can full of power tools and a cherry wood jewelry box containing jewelry had been taken during the burglary, according to court records.

The woman told police when she left the home at 6 a.m. that day, everything was OK.

During the investigation, police were able to determine someone had placed a patio chair beneath a bedroom window to enter the home.

The curtains had been ripped off the wall during the break-in, and the drawer of the nightstand where the gun had been kept was open, the man told police.

The stolen property later was found at an apartment across the street after the homeowner told Sgt. Michael Cooper she had received information about her property.

While being interviewed by police, Howard initially denied any knowledge of the incident.

As part of the plea deal, the state agreed to drop theft and receiving stolen property charges against Howard.

In October 2000, Howard received a six-year prison term for a Class B felony burglary conviction in Jackson Circuit Court.

He also received a four-year term for another Class B felony burglary conviction and another one-year sentence for a Class C felony burglary conviction that same day.

His projected release date on the latest burglary conviction is May 23, 2018, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections’ registry.

Howard also recently was sentenced to one year in jail in connection with a guilty plea on a Class A misdemeanor charge of domestic battery stemming from a separate incident. That sentence will be served consecutively to the sentence on the burglary conviction.