VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Earnest Dee Jr., a Vicksburg resident, has been sentenced following his conviction for stealing 27 pounds of marijuana from a local cannabis business.
Circuit Judge James Chaney handed down sentences of seven years (with five to serve) for grand larceny and 12 years (with five to serve) for burglary, to run concurrently.
Dee, who worked as a security guard at Big River Cannabis Company, went on trial last month. After approximately one hour of jury deliberations, he was found guilty. Assistant District Attorneys Mike Warren and Branan Southerland prosecuted the case.
Prosecutors detailed how Dee used his gate code to access the cannabis facility at midnight in August 2024, then picked a lock to enter a restricted area and stole marijuana valued at about $65,000.
Surveillance footage captured the theft, and investigators connected Dee to his stepfather’s truck, which was stopped by Vicksburg Police the day after the incident.
