A man who attempted to steal a handgun from a vehicle in Cassopolis will be spending the next year in a Cass County jail for his actions.

Keith Wade-Ezekiel Meachum, 25, was sentenced to 365 days in jail by Judge Michael Dodge for multiple charges, including larceny of a firearm, in Cass County court Friday. Meachum previously appeared in court on Aug. 8, where he pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to the court, Meachum, who is currently homeless, attempted to steal a .40 caliber Glock from the inside of an unlocked car on State Street in Cassopolis on June 4.

“You were apparently trying to sell it, to convert it to cash to perhaps buy more booze,” Dodge said.

His theft was noticed by the owner of the property, who chased Meachum down before getting into a fight with him. During the struggle, the stolen gun fell out of the defendant’s pocket, and was retrieved by its owner after police had arrived to break up the scuffle.

Meachum was charged with as habitual offender, third offense, for both the larceny charge and a charge of possession of a firearm by felon. Both the judge and Prosecutor Victor Fitz pointed out the length of the man’s prior conviction list, with two felony and 19 misdemeanors on his record.

“At 25 years old, there are other numbers Mr. Meachum should be thinking about,” Fitz said. “He has 50, or maybe even 75 years, left on this earth. Where does he want those years to go? There’s a lot of good things a 25-year-old man can do, and he has a year to think about that.”

The jail sentence comes from plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office. Dodge said that the year of local incarceration will hopefully provide enough time for Meachum to tackle his abuse of alcohol; at the time of the offense, he had .08 percent BAC.

“I hope this extended period of sobriety will enable you, once you get out, to change the way things are going here, because you definitely need to do that,” Dodge said.

He was given 94 days credit for time already served.