Burglar behind bars: Braun sentenced for summer bar burglaries

Matthew Braun will be in prison for the foreseeable future.

That became clear after a sentencing hearing on Thursday, April 13 at the Eddy County Courthouse, where District Court Judge James Hovey handed Braun a lengthy prison sentence.

Braun is responsible for burglarizing Hanson’s Bar and the New Rockford Eagles Club in early August 2022, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in combined losses and property damage.

Braun had been working at a local construction site at the time, and was caught after multiple cameras placed him and his vehicle at the scene of the crimes.

Eddy County Sheriff Paul Lies said camera footage also showed Braun unsuccessfully attempting a break-in at Wonder Lanes bowling alley before fleeing town just after 5 a.m. that morning, August 6.

Thanks in large part to that footage, Braun was eventually found and arrested, and later pleaded guilty after reaching a plea agreement with Eddy County State’s Attorney Ashley Lies last December.

"Both the sheriff's office and I are happy with the resolution that we got," said Lies about the agreement at the time, "and we think it's a good outcome for the case and should be good for the community."

Though he pleaded guilty months ago, a pre-sentence investigation had to be completed before details of the plea agreement were made public.

At the hearing on April 13, Braun – who has a lengthy criminal record – was sentenced as a habitual offender, and before announcing his judgment, Judge Hovey remarked that Braun’s criminal history was among the most extensive he’s ever come across.

The six felony charges against Braun were theft of property, two counts of criminal mischief, two counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary.

For counts one, two and three – each a Class B felony – Braun was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with 10 years suspended and credit for 245 days already served.

For counts three and four – each a Class C felony – Braun was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with credit for 245 days served, and for count six – another Class C felony – he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and credit for 245 days served.

The sentences are to run concurrent with one another, meaning the total time Braun will spend behind bars amounts to just over nine years.

Braun must also pay restitution in the amount of $93,430.29 to Hanson’s Bar, New Rockford Eagles Club and the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC).

Of that, $41,987 will go to Hanson’s, $49,116.35 will go to the Eagles Club and $2,326.94 will go to the NRABC.

When given an opportunity to comment by Judge Hovey, Braun acknowledged that he made bad choices and apologized to the community and victims.