News

Habitual felon sent to prison for felony thefts

By Lightning Reports, Published: July 1, 2024

A 57-year-old habitual felon was sentenced on Friday to more than nine years in prison after pleading guilty to three felony larcenies plus a felony charge of larceny from a construction site and admitting that he had been convicted as a habitual felon, District Attorney Andrew Murray announced.

Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Lafoy Ball Jr., of Hendersonville, to a consolidated active sentence of 110 months minimum and 144 months maximum in prison.
Court records and sentencing hearing testimony showed that on Sept. 19, 2022, Henderson County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call reporting a larceny the day before. Upon arrival, deputies met with a Moore & Son Site Contractors employee, who told them that occupants of a Ford F-150 had pulled into the contractor yard and loaded 25 ZIP boards used for sheathing into the bed of the truck and drove away. Deputies reviewed surveillance footage from the construction site where they observed Ball, who was familiar to them, in the passenger side of a gold in color Ford F-150 and leaving with the zip boards.
The next day, before the incident had been reported, deputies arrested Ball on charges unrelated to the building materials theft. During the arrest deputies observed Ball in a gold Ford F-150 matching the description of the vehicle seen in video obtained from the construction site. Deputies also spotted zip boards in the bed of the truck. Based on this information, deputies were able to obtain a warrant for felony larceny from a construction site and felony possession of stolen goods. At Ball’s residence, deputies explained why they were there and asked him about the stolen goods. After informing Ball that they had surveillance of him stealing the zip boards, he admitted to taking the supplies and said that he had fenced them to an unknown buyer in South Carolina that he was unable to reach.
After speaking with detectives, Ball granted law enforcement permission to go into his garage, where they observed the gold Ford F-150 parked without zip boards in the bed. Deputies then placed Ball under arrest and transported him to the Henderson County jail.
During the sentencing hearing, Ball also admitted to his status as a habitual felon, meaning he had at least three separate prior felony convictions before committing a new felony.
Murray thanked the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office for its professional investigation and unwavering commitment to protecting the lives and property of Henderson County residents.