An Oregon County jail inmate faces an additional misdemeanor charge after allegedly pilfering snacks from a fellow detainee — a theft reportedly captured on facility surveillance cameras while the victim was on cleaning duty.
Aden C. Kantor, 28, Thayer, is charged with stealing items valued at less than $150 with no prior stealing offense, a class D misdemeanor.
According to the probable cause statement submitted by Oregon County Sheriff's Deputy Shannon Gregory, the incident came to light June 5 when the victim used a phone in his cell to call dispatch. The inmate reported he was missing one pack each of peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers and vanilla cookies.
Jail surveillance footage subsequently reviewed by jailers reportedly showed Kantor, who occupies an adjacent cell, approaching the victim's bunk. The video allegedly captured Kantor untying a personal bag attached to the bed frame, removing two items, placing them into his pocket and retying the bag. Cameras reportedly showed Kantor returning to the bunk minutes later to repeat the process and remove a third item.
The total value of the stolen snacks is $5.43, court records state.
When questioned by investigators, Kantor claimed he had been given permission to take the food and alleged that other detainees had witnessed the agreement. However, Deputy Gregory noted the other detainees denied that claim.
Kantor was already being held in the county facility on prior criminal matters. In January, a warrant was issued for his arrest on felony charges of stealing and financial exploitation of an elderly person. The charges stem from a November incident in which Kantor allegedly stole a credit card from his employer to purchase $320 in merchandise, primarily lottery tickets, from a Casey's convenience store.
Thayer Police Department Sgt. C.E. DeWitt reported during that investigation that Kantor was also wanted on separate active felony warrants out of Arkansas.
The original $25,000 bond warrant was served on Kantor while in custody May 10. Court records indicate Kantor previously pleaded guilty to a class D felony charge of second-degree arson in Oregon County in 2019, receiving a five-year prison sentence.
Kantor is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on the new misdemeanor snack-stealing charge July 15 — the same day he is slated to appear for a preliminary hearing on his felony exploitation and stealing case.
