Fontenot sentenced 17 years for simple burglary, truck theft

In early August, a six person jury found Cody K. Fontenot guilty as charged on one count of simple burglary and one count of theft of a motor vehicle with a value of $1,500.00 or more. On Thursday, a little more than three months after the guilty verdict, Fontenot appeared in court once again. This time however, Fontenot was appearing before Judge Chuck West to be sentenced.
Fontenot had been charged with these crimes in late June of 2015 after Robert Manuel’s work truck was stolen from Manuel’s home and then recovered near Fontenot’s residence.
After the court carefully studied the pre-sentence report, the record of prior offenses, and factors of mitigation, Judge West rendered the following sentence to Fontenot: for the crime of simple burglary Fontenot is sentenced to serve the maximum of 12 years of hard labor and pay a fine of $1,500.00, and for the crime of theft of a motor vehicle valued greater than $1,500.00 Fontenot is sentenced to 10-years at hard labor and pay a fine of $1,500.00.
If Fontenot were to serve his sentences concurrently (at the same time), then he would be facing 12-years in prison. Fontenot’s classification as a third felony offender however, along with the crimes he has committed over the past seven years that have cost his victims both money and time gave Judge West full authority to impose a sentence that would require some of his time spent serving hard labor to be served consecutively.
Fontenot will have to serve five of the 10-year sentence he received for theft of a motor vehicle consecutively with the 12-year sentence he received for the crime of simple burglary.
Fontenot will serve a total of 17-years of hard labor.