After neglecting his duties to watch over the children placed in his care, 20-year-old Camron Newcomer will face his own form of supervision as punishment — by correction officers inside a jailhouse.

Cass County Circuit Judge Michael Dodge sentenced the Elkhart man on Friday to 180 days in jail, on charges of larceny of more than $1,000. He had appeared before the court previous on May 7, where he pleaded guilty to the charge.

According to the judge, the incident occurred last year on Aug. 30. On that day, Newcomer was asked by family friends Travis and Jenny Peacock to watch over their three children at their home in Edwardsburg while they went shopping for a new car.

“I have to say, you turned out to be the parents’ worst nightmare,” Dodge said. “While they were gone, you left the children unattended, who were 12, 6 and 3 years old. If that wasn’t bad enough, before you left, you stole a significant amount of property from the victims.”

The stolen items included cash, jewelry, a couple iPads and iPods and several video games. Newcomer later sold off the property at a pawn shop, said Prosecutor Victor Fitz.

“[The victims’] most precious commodity, their children, were left alone,” Fitz said. “That was terribly wrong for this defendant, and he did it for filthy lucre.”

Newcomer was originally scheduled to be sentenced by the court several months ago, in June. However, he did not show up for the hearing, and was arrested in Indiana a month later for a separate incident.

“I can understand the reason when somebody doesn’t show up because they got arrested or because they got jailed somewhere else,” Dodge said. “But you have to admit, that’s not a very good excuse to say, ‘well, I didn’t show up for your sentencing judge because I’m in trouble somewhere else and I’m in jail there.’”

Newcomer was given 43 days credit for time already served.