KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City man was sentenced to seven years in prison for an ice cream shop burglary that occurred last year, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
John Heckman, 78, received a seven-year prison sentence after pleading guilty yesterday to 2nd Degree Burglary and a concurrent four-year sentence for 1st Degree Property Damage.
According to court records, Kansas City police were dispatched on October 13, 2024, to Betty Rae’s Ice Cream on a burglary. Officers observed a broken glass door, and the reporting party said a black safe with nearly $2,000 in cash was taken.
Surveillance footage of the incident showed an older male, later identified as Heckman, throw a rock into the window and enter the business. He walked to the back of the store where the safe is located and carries it out of the business.
The reporting party said the glass door was $1,700 to fix and the safe was $2,000 to replace. Police, joined by Kansas City, Kan. officers, located the Heckman in a Kansas City, Kan., residence. Detectives said he told them he spent the money on dope and the casinos.
Heckman's criminal record includes multiple prior convictions for burglary and stealing across the Kansas City metro.