Michigan Couch Thief Sentenced To 5-22 Years
GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ/AP) - A Kent County judge has sentenced a man to five to 22 years in prison for stealing what police say is more than $41,000 worth of items from home furnishing stores.
Michael McClerin, 41, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in June to receiving and concealing stolen property worth over $20,000. He also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Investigators say McClerin stole a leather couch worth more than $6,500 from Gorman's Home Furnishings Store on March 3, and then returned six days later to steal the matching cushions and a rug.
Investigators later discovered a storage unit where they say McClerin put the stolen items, although they haven't yet recovered the couch or rug.
McClerin, who was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution, has a lengthy criminal history that includes 10 felony offenses, nine misdemeanors, nine jail sentences and five prison sentences, the Grand Rapids Press reported. At sentencing, McClerin urged the judge to look past his criminal record, saying he has four young daughters to care for.
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