Though Judge Michael Dodge spared him from spending the next year in jail for his crime, 19-year-old Jacob Dean Worthington received a stern reminder of 47 days he spent incarcerated at the Cass County jailhouse, where his parents refused to bail him out.

“They must really love you, to resist the temptation to put you out on bond immediately,” Dodge told Worthington. “They’re trying to have you face the consequences of whatever you do, and this kind of kind of criminal conduct does have some pretty serious consequences.”

Dodge sentenced Worthington, of Dowagiac, to two years worth of probation on charges of third-degree retail fraud and carrying a concealed weapon on Friday. Worthington pleaded guilty to both charges on July 30.

The charges arose from an incident that occurred back on July 20. On that day, the Dowagiac man stole a pair of steaks from the meat department at Dowagiac’s Family Fare grocery store, stuffing them inside his waistband. Upon being confronted by one of the store managers, Worthington relinquished the items.

“The manager attempted to take you to the office to deal with this situation, and you took off,” Dodge said.

A store employee pursued the fleeing Worthington, who eventually pulled out a knife he had concealed in his possession and threatened his pursuer.

While no one was harmed in the incident, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz admonished the defendant for potentially endangering the lives of others in his remarks to the court.

“The public does not tolerate this kind of behavior,” Fitz said. “This 19-year-old needs to realize he is not a child, but a man and needs to behave appropriately. Stealing steaks from a store is shameful, cowardly behavior.”

Dodge sentenced Worthington near the bottom of the sentencing guidelines, due to his lack of prior criminal convictions. Before handing down his sentence, though, the judge stated that he was confused as to why someone with a clean prior record, a high school diploma, and a steady job would commit such an action.

“I’m just baffled why someone like yourself would do something like this, all for a couple pieces of meat,” Dodge said.

Also sentenced on Friday:

• Cecil Patrick Roy, 38, of Edwardsburg, to one year of probation for possession of marijuana. The charge stems from an incident that occurred Nov. 5, when authorities discovered that Roy was growing 40 marijuana plants inside a building he owned. Roy pleaded guilty to the charge on Aug. 4.

• Jamel Raheem Vincent, 20, of Dowagiac, to 300 days in jail for possession of marijuana, with intent to deliver. The charge stems from a traffic stop by an officer with the Dowagiac Police Department on July 20. Though the officer made the stop due to an equipment violation, a subsequent search of the car revealed that Vincent was in possession of 12 tiny bags of marijuana. Vincent pleaded guilty to the charge on July 30. He was given 48 days credit for time already served.