Independence Man Going To Prison For Crime Spree

An Independence man, accused of participating in a series of thefts and burglaries, has been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.

James "Jamie" Reuther, 48, received the sentence after pleading guilty to several charges in Buchanan County District Court on Tuesday (July 17, 2018).

According to court records, Reuther was pulled over by Independence police for a routine traffic violation in February. During the traffic stop, officers discovered he had a trailer in his possession that was reported stolen from Cedar Falls.

Independence police made a similar stop on March 2 and found Reuther was in possession of a stolen trailer from Independence.

A few days later, authorities obtained search warrants for two storage sheds rented by Reuther, as well as his home. They found multiple stolen items from several victims on various occasions, court records stated.

In late March, officers then executed numerous additional search warrants on properties that Reuther owned or rented. Over a three day period, from March 27-29, additional stolen property was found.

In a plea agreement, Reuther pled guilty to six counts of second-degree theft and one count of third-degree burglary.

Reuther was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of three years that must be served. He also must pay court costs and restitution to all of the victims.