A man who was convicted of breaking into a residence in the West Columbia area of Lexington County was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Jeremy Gerome Junious, a 35-year-old from Columbia, pleaded guilty in Lexington County court to first degree burglary, a charge stemming from an April 9, 2022 break-in.

“Junious initially demanded that the victim open the door,” a release says of the incident. “Once the victim did not comply, Junious used his firearm to shoot out the lock before forcing his way inside the home. Once inside, Junious engaged in a shootout with the man living in the home. As a result of this gunfire, Junious, the man, and a child all sustained injuries, but have recovered.

“Based on the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Junious and the victim had children in common,” the release continues. “The victim and her current boyfriend lived in this West Columbia residence with the children. On this day, Junious was violating a Family Court Order when he arrived at the residence demanding to be allowed inside and to take his children. During the burglary, Junious did pick up one of the toddlers and left the home.”

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene where they were able to locate Junious suffering from gunshot wounds in his car a few blocks from the residence. He had the child on his lap. Deputies rescued the child and took Junious into custody without any additional issues.

Junious was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Thomas Cooper. Assistant Solicitor Luke Pinceli with the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuted the case.

“Judge Cooper referenced the possible penalties during the plea because defense counsel requested the minimum sentence for Junious,” the release states. “Burglary First Degree carries 15 years to a life sentence. Judge Cooper stated that the minimum sentence was not appropriate in this case especially because of the harm to the young child.”

In South Carolina, first degree burglary is a no parole offense, meaning Junious will be required to serve at least 85% of his 22-year sentence, which would be just shy of 19 years.