Minimum 19 Year Prison Sentence Imposed In Catawba County Break-in Case Leonard Nelson Avery III Minimum 19 Year Prison Sentence Imposed In Catawba County Break-in Case April 1, 2021 A Conover man was sentenced to at least 19 years in prison following his conviction for property crimes and attainment of habitual felon status. 35-year-old Leonard Nelson Avery III was given consecutive sentences totaling 19 to 25 years after a Catawba County jury found him guilty of felony breaking and entering and felony larceny, and two counts of misdemeanor possession of stolen goods on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. The Honorable Gregory R. Hayes, Superior Court Judge from Catawba County, imposed the prison term for Avery after the jury found him guilty of the offenses and determined that he had attained the status as a habitual felon.