Sentence stems from altercation in Niles this winter

A door-to-door energy salesman who got into an altercation with a potential customer in Niles was sentenced to jail time Monday in Berrien County Trial Court in Niles.

Raymond Guzman, 50, was working for Just Energy when he got into a dispute with a resident in the 1300 block of Oak Street on Feb. 24. Guzman became aggressive when the resident would not switch to his energy company and attempted to enter the home, causing damage to the door.

Guzman pleaded guilty to one count of attempted home invasion in the first degree.

Judge Dennis Wiley sentenced him Monday to 127 days in jail with credit for 127 already served.

“The word ‘no’ is a word in the English language and you need to recognize that,” Wiley said. “You probably won’t change their mind by pushing your way into their house.”

Guzman apologized for his actions, saying he was just trying to do his job before things got out of hand.

“I didn’t intend to do it that way,” he said.

Guzman was ordered to pay $188.91 in restitution for damaging the door.

Also Monday, a Niles man was sentenced to 45 days in jail and two years of probation on one count of unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle.

According to court documents, Jason Randall Kilburn, 26, broke into a storage unit in Niles Township and drove away in a 2002 Lexus vehicle that was contained inside in February.

He parked the stolen vehicle in a vacant lot and had his mother, Carla Kilburn, of Elkhart, Indiana, pick him up.

For her role in the crime, Carla was sentenced to two years of probation and seven days in jail on one count of attempted accessory after the fact to a felony.

Both received credit for seven days already served and must pay $1,248 in restitution.

Jason had no prior criminal record except for a minor misdemeanor violation out of Indiana.

“I don’t know what got into you and you dragged your mother into it,” Wiley said. “All for some selfish deal about taking a car that didn’t belong to you.”