By KLTV Digital Media Staff
HENDERSON COUNTY, TX (KLTV) - A man who the Henderson County District Attorney said went on a crime spree in 2017 has been sentenced to 99 years to life in prison.
According to a Facebook post from the Henderson County District Attorney, 59-year old Clifton Denean Dora pled guilty to six counts of Burglary, two counts of Theft, Theft of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, and Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle on Wednesday, November 28.
The post said Dora received the maximum sentence for the 11 charges.
The post said Dora’s crime spree began in June 2017 and continued over the summer, as he committed numerous burglaries around the county. He stole farm equipment, lawn equipment, power tools, four wheelers, trailers, tractors, ATVs and firearms. The value of the property he stole amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The post said on September 18, 2017, Dora’s spree ended when a property owner caught Dora burglarizing his property, stealing power tools and an ATV. The property owner confronted Dora and was able to get a description of both Dora and his vehicle, including a partial license plate number.
Later that same day, Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Ray Yockey spotted Dora at a tire shop on State Highway 19 north of Athens. Deputy Yockey attempted to pull Dora over and a high-speed chase began.
The post said Dora attempted to evade officers traveling on State Highway 19, Loop 7, and US 175 at speeds in excess of 115 miles per hour. Dora exited 175 near Eustace and continued his flight on various county roads, pursued by Deputies David Robertson and Duane Sanders. Robertson was able to take Dora into custody at a gas station in Leagueville.
The post said Sheriff’s Office Investigator Charlie Severn was able to connect Dora to the other burglaries that occurred earlier in the summer. Dora’s criminal history dates back to the 1970’s. Prior to these guilty pleas, he had been convicted of fourteen other felony offenses, and had been to prison on three different occasions.
Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence, citing Dora’s criminal history and the sheer number of crimes for which he was responsible.
“This defendant is a one man crime spree. His history shows us that if he is not in prison, he’s going to continue to burglarize and steal. Prison is the only way to stop him,” argued Assistant District Attorney Daniel Cox.
The post said Judge McKee sentenced Dora to the maximum of twenty years on the Theft and Burglary charges, ninety nine years on the Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and the maximum of Life on the Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle.
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