Augusta man sent to prison for five years in car theft/burglary spree

FARMINGTON – An Augusta man was sentenced to five years in prison today in Franklin County Superior Court, after pleading guilty to four felonies relating to an incident last year, where car thefts and an extended pursuit through the back roads of Franklin County led to a Wilton police officer being hurt when his cruiser was rammed.

Jacob Hastings, 21, of Augusta, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a Class B felony, as well as reckless conduct, aggravated criminal mischief and burglary, all Class C felonies. Hastings also pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of property, a Class D misdemeanor, for stealing multiple vehicles. 

In addition to these charges, Hastings had been out on probation for robbery convictions in 2006, at the time of the incident. He admitted to violating the terms of his probation.

The incident involved a bizarre string of car thefts, all involving vehicles with keys left in the ignition, which occurred on the late evening of Oct. 20, 2009, and the early morning of the next day. Police believe that as many as six suspects were involved in the scheme, the ultimate goal of which was the burglarizing of a New Vineyard store.

Instead, personnel from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, Wilton Police Department and Farmington Police Department became aware of the car thefts and began pursuing suspects throughout the greater Farmington area. While attempting to flee, police reported one of the stolen vehicles intentionally crashed into a Wilton police cruiser, slightly injuring Officer Nathan Reid, while another crashed into a utility pole.

Hastings diverse charges relate to different events during the chaotic incident. The aggravated assault and reckless conduct charges resulted from the injuries sustained by Reid. The burglary and aggravated criminal mischief charges relate to a break in at Rick’s Market in Wilton, where would-be thieves broke the glass door to gain entrance but were unable to force open a cash register.

Hastings received five years in prison for the felony convictions, as part of an agreed-upon sentence. He also will concurrently serve four years of his suspended sentence for the 2006 robbery convictions, with probation to continue afterwards.

The court also ordered Hastings to pay $500 restitution to Rick’s Market to help pay for damages, and $500 to pay for the damage sustained by a vehicle.