COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Coldwater man who entered a guilty plea to a charge of malicious destruction of personal property over $1,000 after he tried to steal a catalytic converter from a vehicle on Industrial Avenue last February 12 was sent to prison on Monday in Branch County Circuit Court.
28-year-old Darin Edward Smullen was ordered to serve 38 months to five years in the Michigan Department of Corrections.
In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed a charge of attempted larceny from a motor vehicle as well as a habitual offender sentencing enhancer.
The maximum possible punishment in the State of Michigan for Malicious Destruction of Property over $1,000 is five years in the M.D.O.C..
According to police, a witness called 9-1-1 to report a man was cutting a catalytic convertor from a Ford Ranger pickup truck. When police arrived, Smullen fled the scene on foot.
A K-9 unit from the Michigan State Police was called in to assist with the search and Smullen was apprehended a short time later in a hole near the crime scene.
In addition to the State Police, the Branch County Sheriff’s Office also assisted Coldwater Police during the search for the suspect.
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