WACO, Texas (KWTX) - An eight-time convicted felon who broke into a home in McGregor in March 2024 was sentenced to 40 years in prison Wednesday.

Jurors in Waco's 19th State District Court convicted James Brandon Bartels, 43, as a habitual criminal because of his lifetime of crime and recommended that Judge Thomas West sentence him to 40 years in prison.

Bartels, who rejected a 20-year offer from the McLennan County District Attorney's Office before trial, must be given credit for serving at least 20 years in prison before he can seek parole.