Kiln man to serve 25 years for burglary conviction

A Kiln man pleaded guilty Thursday in Hancock County Circuit Court to burglary of a dwelling and will serve 25 years.

33-year-old Antonio Joseph Connetti was sentenced the same day by Judge Christopher Schmidt for the July 7, 2021 burglary of a home on Firetower Road.

According to District Attorney Crosby Parker, an investigator with Hancock County Sheriff’s Office found what looked to be fingerprints and blood under a broken window of the house. It was also discovered that Connetti, who has prior felony convictions, was seen walking in the area at the time of the burglary call.

When investigators interviewed Connetti, he confessed to the burglary, according to Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Necaise, who prosecuted the case.

Coincidentally, Connetti was also one of four people arrested in April on drug and burglary charges. Deputies went to Connetti’s Kiln residence on a warrant for failure to appear in court and found him and three others near a truck loaded with catalytic converters that appeared to have been cut off of vehicles, as well as drugs and burglary tools.

He was taken to the Hancock County jail and was held with no bond. Those charges are still pending.

“We commend the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and their investigators for their attention to detail in this case,” Parker said. “Their investigation allowed the District Attorney’s Office to recommend the maximum sentence for this crime, which was ultimately followed by the Court.”