WARSAW — Miguel Raymond Castro, 22, 701 S. Robinson Lake Road, Pierceton, was sentenced today, Thursday, June 9, on a level 6 felony of theft. He is to serve 1 1/2 years in the Koscisuko County Jail, with five days jail-time credit and must pay restitution to Builder’s Mart in the amount of $1,332.85.

Castro sat in Superior Court I today and told Judge Dave Cates he hadn’t known he’d written a bad check to Builder’s Mart when he purchased roofing shingles. He stated someone had called-off on a roofing job and he had to return those shingles to get his money back and he hadn’t realized that the customer’s check had not cleared.

When Castro was asked to tell Cates how this had changed him he said, “I learned how to start and run my own business.” He stated he should’ve checked the account to make sure the check had cleared.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz mentioned Castro’s significant juvenile and criminal history. Voelz told the court that Castro had a long list of crimes, including substance abuse, both using and dealing, all while on probation. Voelz also pointed out Castro’s long list of failures to appear, which includes his last failure to appear over the charges he was sentenced for today.

Voelz said of Castro, “He’s accepted responsibility by pleading guilty and yet each time he comes to court he refuses to accept that responsibility … not his fault, someone else’s fault.”

When Cates asked Castro if he had anything he’d like to say, Castro said no. Cates went on to mention that no restitution had been made to Builder’s Mart. When Castro started to explain why, Cates cut him short saying, “It’s my turn now. I gave you an opportunity.” Cates told Castro that if he truly regretted his actions he would have have made substantial efforts to repay them.