PHILIPSBURG--A 43-year-old drug addict, without permanent residence, was sentenced by the Court on Wednesday for damaging the door of a vehicle on July 10.
Marvin V. Lake was charged with the (attempted) theft of a Suzuki Vitara, during which he broke open the car’s right front door.
The Judge, however, only found the destruction of property proven. The owner of the car was awarded US $275 in damages, while the defendant was sentenced to four weeks’ detention, with deduction of time already spent.
The Judge said the sentence was quite harsh for a case of destruction of property, but justifiable when taking into account the defendant’s previous convictions.
The Prosecutor also held it against Lake that he has an extensive criminal record. He is currently also held in detention because he has failed to do community service in connection with a previous conviction. Therefore, the Prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of six weeks with deduction of 10 days already spent, with $275 in damages.
Attorney Sjamira Roseburg said there was too little evidence to convict her client of the attempted theft of a vehicle. Lake had told the Judge that the car door was already open and that he had rummaged around in the vehicle looking for money as he had wanted to buy some drugs.
His lawyer also pleaded for an acquittal of damaging the vehicle, as this could not be proven “based on this thin case file,” as Roseburg stated.
