Jackson Jambalaya

Rankin-Madison District Attorney Michael Guest issued the following press release:

Habitual Offender House Burglar Receives 25 Year Prison Sentence

Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that Derome M. Cavitt was sentenced to serve 25 years for house burglary after being found guilty by a jury. Cavitt was sentenced as a habitual offender. He will have to serve his sentence day-for-day without the possibility of probation, parole or early release.
On February 11, 2013, the Flowood Police Department was dispatched to an apartment complex where the occupants of the apartment had arrived to find their apartment burglarized. The officers noted that the suspect had gained entry into the apartment through a front window of the upstairs unit. The unidentified suspect then stole items ranging from cash to sunglasses to a television and video games.

Investigators processed the crime scene and were able to lift a latent print from the window seal. They then submitted the print to the Mississippi Crime Lab to be processed. The finger print was run through an automated fingerprint system that contains the prints of previously convicted criminals, and Cavitt’s print was identified as matching the prints taken from the window of the residence.

The Flowood Police Department was then able to determine that Cavitt was currently on probation with the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Cavitt also had active warrants for his arrest from Hinds County and the Vicksburg Police Department. Officers were able to obtain two addresses for Cavitt but were not able to locate him at either address. The U.S. Marshall’s Service was then notified and they were able to arrest Cavitt the following day.

Cavitt was interviewed following his arrest and he admitted to being at the apartment complex to visit his sister but he denied breaking into the apartment.

Guest stated, “Home burglary is one of the most intrusive crimes we prosecute because it takes away our sense of privacy and safety. I am glad that the jury after hearing all the evidence returned a verdict that will prevent him violating the safety of others. ”

Guest added, “Cavitt is truly a career criminal who was on probation at the time that he committed this burglary. He is a habitual offender who had three prior felony convictions and two warrants for his arrest at the time he was arrested in this case. Cavitt will finally have to pay the consequences for life of crime.”

Guest concluded, “The Flowood Police Department did an outstanding job in this case. The fingerprints recovered in this case allowed us to solve a case that otherwise Cavitt would have been able to get away with. I also want to thank the United States Marshall Service for their help in apprehend this dangerous individual.”

Cavitt has been previously convicted in 2003 in Hinds County of Strong Arm Robbery. He has been convicted in 2006 in Madison County of Possession of Cocaine. And finally, he has been convicted in 2011, in Hinds County of Possession of Cocaine.

District Attorney Michael Guest was sworn into office in January 2008 and represents the Twentieth Judicial District, Madison and Rankin Counties. For more information regarding the District Attorney’s office, please visit www.daguest.com

Defendant:
Name: Derome M. Cavitt
Address: 704 Primos Avenue, Jackson
Date of Birth: 11/3/81