Parolee arrested in market smash-and-grab

Metro Police say a parolee with 13 burglary convictions on his record between 1996 and 2005 is back behind bars Wednesday for allegedly breaking into a Murfreesboro Pike market.

Royce Drennon, 51, is accused of smashing the front door of the Texaco market at 815 Murfreesboro Pike with a brake rotor and taking money from two cash registers, police said.

Drennon, who was recently released on parole in relation to an eight-year sentence for a 2005 burglary, was arrested at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday on Murfreesboro Pike near the Interstate 24 junction.

Police say he had small cuts on his arms, glass fragments on his clothing, and more than $200 in cash and loose change in his pockets when he was arrested.

He closely matched the description of the burglar provided by a witness, and police said the store's surveillance system showed a suspect whose identity closely matched Drennon.

Drennon’s bond was set at $35,000 on charges of burglary and theft. The state is expected to file a parole violation warrant against him.