Man sentenced for stealing from 10 New Hanover Co. businesses

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man pleaded guilty Tuesday to breaking into and stealing from ten different New Hanover county businesses in 2017.

Superior Court Judge Jay D. Hockenbury sentenced Andre Kennedy, 53, as a habitual felon and will spend at least 7 1/2 years behind bars.

According to the district attorney’s office, these break-ins occurred between February 2017 and May 2017, and were investigated by the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Carolina Beach Police Department. In almost all of the cases, Kennedy would take a brick, rock, or cinder block and shatter the front door of the business. At that point Kennedy would enter and steal the money from the cash register or the cash register itself.

On May 17, Kennedy and his vehicle, a red Toyota Camry, were caught on video during a breaking and entering to Top Wok located at 1401 North Lake Park Boulevard in Carolina Beach. During that break in, Kennedy threw a cinder block through the front glass door and stole $30 from the cash register. As a result of the video, Detective Tony Adams with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office was able to link Kennedy to nine other break ins in the county, almost all with the same mode of entry.

Kennedy was also identified because in 2009 he committed multiple break ins in New Hanover County in exact same manner, and in at least one instance, the same exact location.

In 2009, Kennedy was sentenced to 80-96 months for multiple breaking and enterings and larcenies to New Hanover County businesses as well as being sentenced as a habitual felon for break ins out of Wake County. Kennedy also committed these crimes by shattering the front door of the business with an object then stealing the cash register.

Kennedy even drove a red Toyota Camry during that crime spree. Kennedy was released from prison on December 26, 2015