Two Dixie County brothers who were recently released from incarceration were arrested again hours apart over the weekend for separate crimes.
Now they may be headed to state prison, where their older brother is already serving a life sentence for murder.
At about 11:15 a.m. Saturday, the Dixie County Sheriff's Office, Cross City Police Department and the Florida Department of Corrections' canine team from Cross City Correctional Institution got involved in a foot chase for Norman Ashley Burnett, 31, of Cross City.
Burnett was released from the Dixie County Jail about a month ago to serve a felony probation sentence for burglary and possession of cocaine. Earlier this month, probation officials determined Burnett had violated the terms of his probation and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Burnett reportedly fled from officers on Saturday morning, leading them on what became a six-hour chase before he was arrested and returned to the county jail.
While searching for Norman Burnett, deputies were notified about a burglary in progress at a local grocery store.
An off-duty deputy was the first to get to the store where he was told a purse snatcher had fled from the store on foot with several citizens chasing him, including the woman whose purse had been taken.
The citizens later told deputies they saw the man run into a wooded area, where he rummaged through the purse and took several items. When confronted, the man reportedly dropped the purse and ran from the citizens, who eventually caught him and held him until deputies arrived.
Deputies found a credit card belonging to an area resident in the man's pocket and they called the owner of the credit card. The man checked his home and told deputies it had been burglarized.
In addition to his credit card, the burglary victim said several other items had been stolen, including his children's baby teeth, which deputies said they found in the man's pocket.
The man was identified as Anthony Scott Burnett, 30, of Cross City. He was charged with robbery, possession of a controlled substance, burglary, grand theft, criminal mischief and theft by taking possession of a credit card.
Anthony Burnett was released by the Florida Department of Corrections on April 2 after serving an 18-month sentence for burglary. His state prison record spans more than 12 years, beginning about three weeks before his 18th birthday when he was sentenced to four years in prison for a series of crimes in Dixie County, including burglaries, thefts and dealing in stolen property.
Another Burnett brother, Lloyd T. Burnett, 39, was sentenced to life in prison in 1999 for the murder of Cathy Burkhart, whose body was found at Shell Mound along the Dixie County coastline.
Lloyd Burnett was 18 the first time he was sentenced to state prison. He had served five prison sentences before being sentenced to life for Burkhart's murder.
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Originally Posted by Lynntoast
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