Warrants Issued for Road Runner Burglary Suspects

Arrest warrants have been issued for two of the suspects accused of theft from the Road Runner Bar and Grill in Daykin after they failed to appear in Jefferson County District Court for sentencing.On Thursday, Judge David, J.A. Bargen issued warrants for Steven Cordis, age 49, and Austin Cordis, age 25, both from Belle Vista, Arkansas.Originally, three suspects were charged with the burglary. Charges against the third suspect, Britni Grant-Fry, age 35, also of Belle Vista, Arkansas, had been dismissed. The BurglaryOn Saturday, February 10, at 1:34 p.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to a burglary that occurred at the Road Runner Bar and Grill, 705 Francis Street. The burglary occurred sometime during the previous night after the establishment closed.Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the owners and were notified that someone gained entry into the building, targeting the gaming machines within the establishment.According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation found that three gambling gaming machines, the pool table and dart board were all broken into and the money removed. A gaming ticket/money redemption machine was also forcefully removed and missing from the establishment.The losses from that theft were estimated at well over $50,000 in value in cash and equipment, including gaming machines. The total amount of cash between the gaming machines and the ticket redemption machines is estimated near $19,000.00. The stolen ticket redemption machine had an estimated value between $35,000 to $40,000. The SuspectsOn Friday, March 22, 2024, Sheriff Nick Georgi issued a statement that read, in part, “I am pleased to announce the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has one individual in custody in connection to the Burglary at the Road Runner Bar in Daykin that occurred on February 10, 2024. After a very lengthy investigation and numerous hours put into the investigation by deputies of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, we have been able to identify 3 (three) suspects in connection to the burglary.”On March 15, 2024, deputies obtained three arrest warrants for the three individuals believed to have been involved in the burglary. That morning, the Belle Vista Police Department executed a search warrant on a residence in Belle Vista, Arkansas.Steven Cordis was located at the residence and was taken into custody on a Jefferson County Nebraska warrant. An extradition hearing was held in Arkansas and Steven Cordis has been extradited back to Nebraska.Austin Cordis and Britni Grant-Fry were not at the residence at the time and were arrested shortly after. The Plea DealThe suspects were originally charged with burglary, a class 2A felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison; theft of more than $5,000, also a 2A felony; and criminal mischief involving more than $5,000, a class 4 felony punishable by up to two ears in prison and one year of post-release supervision.In accordance with the plea agreement, Steven and Austin Cordis pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted burglary, which is a class 3A felony, punishable by up to three years in prison, nine to 18 months of post-release supervision and a $10,000 fine.Upon completion of the plea agreement, charges against Britni Grant-Fry were to be dismissed. CourtJudge Bargen ordered a PSI (Pre-Sentencing Investigation) and scheduled sentencing for Thursday, May 1, 2025. Both suspects appeared in court as scheduled but their attorney, Dustin Garrison, did not. Instead, attorney Lyle Koenig was asked to fill in by Garrison the previous night. No reason for Garrison's absence was provided at that time.The defendants had requested deferred judgments, which Judge Bargen denied. He also advised both Steven and Austin Cordis that he did not consider either of them a “fit candidate for probation.”Because the defendants each indicated they had not reviewed the PSI with their attorney, Judge Bargen opted to continue the case one week to give them the opportunity to do so.The following week, Thursday, May 8, Garrison was present in court but his clients were not. Garrison reminded the court his clients lived in Arkansas. He said they were unable to make it to court this week and asked for a continuance.County Attorney Joseph Casson opposed any continuance and requested warrants be issued.Judge Bargen denied the continuance and issued the warrants. The judge set new bonds at $50,000 (10 percent) for each defendant.

Hebron Man Facing Felony Drug Charge Accepts Plea

Animal in Road Leads to Car in Ditch

Related Articles

Voters Reject Tri County School Bond

Dead Man in the Ring: Part One

FPS Announces New Head Coach

Ricketts, Fischer Champion Relocating USDA to Nebraska