By DEBRA HAIGHT

Special to Leader Publications

Bad decisions have consequences. That’s what two area youth learned after being sentenced Monday in Berrien County Trial Court.

Jeffery Robert Davis, 20, of Decatur, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaking and entering vehicles causing damage and one count of resisting and obstructing police and was sentenced to probation, jail and community service.

Berrien County Trial Judge Dennis Wiley placed Davis on three years probation, 90 days in jail and 120 hours of community service. He has credit for 38 days already served. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

The incidents all occurred on Nov. 7, when Davis and a co-defendant broke into a pickup truck at Millin Automotive on North Second Street in Niles as well as several vehicles at the Niles train station on Dey Street.

They ran from Niles police at the train station.

Assistant Prosecutor Gerald Vigansky noted that Davis and Price also broke into a building at Silverbrook Cemetery and a construction trailer at another location during their “mini crime spree.”

“Stupid as it might have been, it was a nice little crime spree,” Vigansky said. “It’s not just one car they broke into. It’s more than stupid and more than criminal. They had nothing to do so they decided to break into cars.”

Davis apologized and admitted “it was stupid of me” to do it. Defense attorney Jason Engram called it “extremely and excruciatingly dumb” and said his client has taken the lessons he has learned to heart.

“I don’t know what got into you to act like this,” Wiley said. “To let someone else lead you into this type of behavior shows you don’t have much of a backbone. … You’re darn lucky that someone didn’t come out and shoot you. It’s a sad commentary that you had nothing but time on your hands.”

In the other sentencing, a Buchanan youth was given jail and probation for stealing paint that was later used to vandalize the trail mural in Buchanan.

Logan Mikade Sullivan, 18, of Polis Street in Buchanan, pleaded guilty to attempted larceny in a building and malicious destruction of property, $200 to $1,000. He was sentenced to two years probation, five days in jail and 80 hours of community service. He must pay $40 in restitution.

Sullivan’s attorney, Lanny Fisher, requested that any jail time be served when his client was not in school. Wiley told Sullivan to report to jail at 8 a.m. Dec. 24, to serve his five days in jail.

The incident occurred Sept. 16, at the Buchanan Pallet Company on River Street in Buchanan. Sullivan and co-defendants stole spray paint and vandalized the company property on River Street. Others later used more of the paint to vandalize the mural.

“I honestly made a mistake. It’s something I’m not proud of I want to apologize,” Sullivan said.

“One of the hard lessons here is that you and your friends caused damage to a man’s building and took things that didn’t belong to you,” Wiley said. “While I don’t hold you personally responsible for the damage to the murals, you put in play the paint that caused a lot of damage.”

“It’s one of those things where too often there are hidden consequences to bad behavior,” the judge added. “You put in motion the type of behavior that led to other bad behavior.”