Ellis County Burglar Shot by Homeowner Gets 99 Years in Prison

A serial burglar who was shot in the back by an Ellis County homeowner who confronted him was sentenced last week to 99 years in prison, authorities say.Trenton Eugene Sinyard, 37, was out on parole for a previous burglary when he forced his way into a home next to the one he had been staying in with relatives, the Ellis County district attorney's office said. Sinyard, of Ovilla, rang the doorbell about 1 p.m. on June 2, 2015, to see if anyone was home. The homeowner was there, but didn't answer. He then went to the backyard and pounded on the patio door and jiggled the handle, DA officials said. The victim called the sheriff's office and armed herself with a pistol. A couple minutes later, Sinyard forced the door open and went inside. The victim fired at Sinyard about seven times, grazing the back of his head with a bullet and shooting him in the upper back, officials said. Sinyard fled, but a sheriff's department's K-9 unit tracked him next door to a crawl space behind a fireplace where he'd taken off his blood-stained clothes.He has previous convictions for burglary of a habitation in Ellis and Van Zandt counties, simple burglary in Louisiana in 2014, theft, marijuana possession and burglary of a vehicle. Staff writer Matt Peterson contributed to this report.   Continue reading...