Duaine Ralph Sheppard was convicted of one count of felony theft by taking,1 and he was sentenced to serve ten years, five in confinement.2 Following the denial of his motion for new trial, Sheppard appeals, arguing that the trial court erred by: 1 admitting evidence regarding his arrest; 2 admitting a videotape of the theft at issue without a proper foundation; 3 sentencing him for a felony under OCGA § 16-8-12 a 1; and 4 sentencing him as a recidivist. He also challenges the sufficiency of the evidence. We affirm, for reasons that follow. On appeal from a criminal conviction following a bench trial, Sheppard no longer enjoys a presumption of innocence, and we view the evidence in a light favorable to the trial court’s finding of guilt, giving due regard to the trial court’s opportunity to judge witness credibility. This Court does not weigh the evidence or determine the credibility of witnesses. Rather, we determine only if there is enough evidence from which a rational trier of fact could have found the accused guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.3 “The standard of review for the denial of a motion for directed verdict of acquittal is the same as that for reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction.”4 So viewed, the record shows that on August 24, 2005, William Fripp, an employee of Advanced Door, was repairing an external door at the U. S. Attorney’s Office in Savannah when he accidentally locked himself out of the building. At approximately 2:10 p.m., Fripp went into the building at another entrance, leaving a suitcase containing his tools outside the door, and when he returned, he discovered that the suitcase and tools were gone. He immediately reported the theft to the security guard inside the building and called the police. The same day, Fripp went to pawn shops in the area, described the stolen items, and asked the employees to call him if anyone attempted to pawn the items. Fripp also called his supervisor, who instructed him to complete the job immediately, so Fripp bought replacement tools, spending more than $2,000.
Less than two hours after the theft, Stephen Jung, an employee of the Welsh Pawn Shop, called Fripp and advised him that between approximately 3:00 to 3:30 p.m., a man brought in a suitcase with tools matching Fripp’s description. Jung advised the man that he would not accept the items because they had been stolen, and the man ran from the shop, dropping his identification card in the process. The identification card belonged to William Smith, who had pawned items at the shop on three previous occasions. A police officer retrieved the items from the pawn shop and showed them to Fripp, who indicated that the suitcase was damaged and that two grip pliers and a grinder were missing; the items were then returned to Fripp.
