Ark Valley News - ‘Danger’ to Valley facing jail time

‘Danger’ to Valley facing jail time
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: June 22, 2017

A man who local law enforcement officials say has been a thorn in the community's side will be spending time behind bars.

Valley Center police said that Jacob Cox, 31, pleaded guilty last week to a number of burglary and theft charges stemming from storage facility break-ins and a couple of police chases.

Cox will be sentenced July 13 in Sedgwick County District Court and could face up to seven years in prison.

"He was one of those who, I think, posed a great danger to the community," said Valley Center police Det. Michael Gordon. "With his crimes and every time he would be chased by police, he would have a firearm. He would flee and drive 100 mph. That's just a danger to the community."

Cox was charged with the June 2016 burglary of a storage facility in the 1200 block of South Meridian in Valley Center.

He also was charged with fleeing and eluding officers after a July 2016 police chase that ended with a crashed Valley Center police cruiser and an injured officer.

Cox was also the suspect in a September 2016 chase that went through the heart of Valley Center and was called off by officers due to safety concerns around schools during dismissal time.

Cox also was convicted of fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement officers after a June 2014 incident in Sedgwick County.

In a Sedgwick County case, Cox pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm, defacing identification marks on a firearm, fleeing and eluding and interference with a law enforcement officer.

In a Valley Center case, Cox pleaded guilty to burglary and four counts of felony theft.

In another Sedgwick County case, a jury found Cox guilty of fleeing and eluding (two counts) and interference with law enforcement.

In a second Valley Center case, Cox was convicted of two counts of felony theft.

Finally, Cox pleaded guilty to criminal use of a financial card in a Wichita case.

"He victimized a lot of people in Valley Center," Sgt. Lloyd Newman said.