Joshua King convicted of identity fraud, sentenced to 25 years  

WARNER ROBINS – Joshua King, 37, of Warner Robins, was convicted of two counts of theft by taking, one count of possession of tools for the commission of a crime and five counts of identity fraud. King was sentenced on Monday, Nov. 10, to 25 years with the first 20 years to be served in prison without the possibility of parole. King had six prior convictions. 

This case originated when officers from the Warner Robins Police Department were dispatched to AAA Heating and Air on January 16, 2024, at 3 a.m. due to a suspicious vehicle. 

According to a media release, the vehicle had been caught on surveillance footage after hours, and once officers arrived, the car was found unoccupied at the back of the business. 

“Inside the vehicle were numerous air conditioner compressors belonging to AAA. Officers were able to determine that the vehicle had been stolen previously,” the release said. “Officers heard someone walking in the woods on the premises and set up a perimeter to search for the suspect.”

Officers searched for almost an hour and found a man walking in 50-degree weather without a coat, carrying a bookbag, and covered in grease stains. 

“The person, later determined to be King, could not provide a reasonable explanation of why he was walking in the area of the recent theft, and he was detained and searched

incident to arrest,” the release said. 

The release stated that throughout his interaction with law enforcement, King provided police with a false name and birthdate, which were later found to be those of his brother. King’s identity was not confirmed until he was booked into the Houston County Detention Center. 

Police searched King’s bookbag and found multiple identification documents, including licenses, passports, social security cards, mail, checkbooks and credit cards that belonged to other individuals, along with documents and the car title of the stolen vehicle found at AAA Heating and Air. 

King was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Mike Smith, who provided some comments on the case: 

“The Houston County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Warner Robins Police Department for their outstanding efforts in bringing this career criminal to justice,” he said. “The Office would especially like to highlight the efforts of Officers Juan Garcia and Conner Milam. All members of our community should be safe from having their property and their identities stolen. The District Attorney’s Office remains committed to protecting the community from career criminals.”

Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards also provided comments: 

“Warner Robins Police Department officers did exactly what they were trained to do in this case — they noticed something suspicious, they acted quickly, and they took a repeat offender off the streets before he could victimize anyone else. This defendant has spent years preying on innocent Georgians and trying to avoid responsibility for his crimes,” he said. Thanks to the persistence of WRPD and the hard work of Senior ADA Mike Smith, that cycle of theft and deceit has come to an end. This conviction and sentence send a clear message: if you make a career out of stealing from the people of Houston County, you will go to prison.”