Probation given in burglary case

A Pawnee City man was sentenced to probation for his role in the burglary of a Beatrice fuel station last year.

Austin D. Watts, 20, was sentenced to 36 months probation for a charge of attempted burglary, a class 3A felony. The charge was reduced from burglary, which is a class 2A felony.

Watts and Michael Grant were arrested after being identified from surveillance video footage of a Jan. 29 burglary at Nick’s Shell gas station at 900 Court St. in Beatrice.

At around 2:30 a.m., the front lock was forced open by Watts and around $100 worth of cigarettes, food and beverages were taken from the store while Grant acted as a lookout.

Police said Watts was identified by two different people, one within the police department and another who called in a tip.

During a search of Watts’ residence, police found a carton of cigarettes with eight packages remaining. The bag used to carry the items and ice cream taken from the store were also recovered.

Grant was sentenced in June to serve 24 months on probation for a charge of attempted aiding and abetting. A motion to revoke his probation due to a violation was later filed.