A Hickory man was sentenced to an active prison term of six to nearly nine years following his guilty plea in Catawba County Superior Court on Monday, February 27, 2023.
The Honorable Gregory R. Hayes, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed the prison term for 40-year-old David Wayne Chafin II after the defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary on the day his case was set to go to trial.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
The offense occurred on May 1, 2021. According to investigative findings, Chafin entered the residence through a garage door before taking steak and Cool Whip out of the homeowner’s refrigerator.
The defendant took the items to the bedroom of the home where the occupants awoke to find him standing over them eating the Cool Whip with a knife.
The male occupant retrieved a .22-caliber firearm and forced the defendant out of the home. Chafin was apprehended a short time later by deputies and still had a creamy, white substance on his beard.
Prosecuting Attorney Howard Wellons credited law enforcement’s swift response time as a key factor in the prosecution.
The case was investigated by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.