The Brazos County district attorney’s office says an arrest was made after a sheriff’s investigator identified the suspect using video from several security cameras.
The D-A’s office says during a court appearance on April 10th, 39 year old John Obanion of Bryan admitted to the burglaries.
A plea agreement between prosecutors and Obanion included a 12 year prison sentence. While Obanion pleaded guilty to all 11 burglaries, he was prosecuted on three of the break-in’s.
At the time of the burglaries, Obanion was on parole for possessing a controlled substance.
This will be the fourth time since 2011 that he is headed to either a state prison or a state jail. Obanion also served time for family violence assault with prior convictions and felony theft.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, John Obanion pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for multiple counts of Burglary of a Building.
In September 2023, Obanion (went to) Wixon Valley Mini Storage on two separate occasions.
During the first incident, Obanion broke into three storage units by using bolt cutters to break the locks. Obanion then left the storage facility but returned a few hours later. He proceeded to burglarize additional storage units at that time.
Between the two incidents, Obanion stole a Ryobi Auger, a Samsung 55 inch curved TV, a 20 inch TV, a tool box, a circular saw, and an angle grinder. All items taken were collected by law enforcement and returned to the respective owners.
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of the incident when the owner of Wixon Valey Mini Storage called law enforcement the morning after the units had been burglarized. The Sheriff’s Office were able to identify the defendant after reviewing footage from several security cameras located on the storage facility property.
After making the identification, officers obtained a search warrant for Obanion’s residence. In executing the search warrant officers were able to locate and seize all of the property
taken.
The defendant’s criminal history consisted of convictions for theft, and domestic violence. He was currently on parole for a prior prison sentence for possession of a controlled substance when this crime occurred.
Burglary of a Building is normally a state jail felony, but because of the defendant’s criminal history, his punishment was enhanced to a 2nd degree felony.
Statement from assistant Brazos County district attorney Rachel Porter: “The defendant stole from honest, hard working people on multiple occasions. This defendant has chosen to make a habit out of committing crimes in Brazos County and that behavior will not be tolerated.”