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CASSOPOLIS — A Dowagiac man who stole items from the Dowagiac Tractor Supply store and injured a store employee was sentenced to probation and jail Friday in Cass County Circuit Court.

Nathaniel Robert Warner, 29, of Hill Street in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to larceny from a person and was sentenced to two years probation, 300 days in jail with credit for 51 days served and $1,548 in fines and costs.

The incident occurred Jan. 26 at the TSC store in Dowagiac. Warner attempted to steal a gun, ammunition and other items and was stopped by a store employee.

Assistant Prosecutor Jason Ronning said that a store employee fell on the blade of a snowblower and was cut during the scuffle with Warner.  The employee later lost his job because of the company’s liability concerns, Ronning said.

Defense attorney Nicholas Hogue said that Warner made some bad decisions that day and has both mental health and substance abuse problems. Hogue said Warner has had ongoing drug issues since the age of 16.

Hogue said Warner knows he needs help and that this may be his last opportunity to turn his life around.

For his part, Warner said that things are going well right now for him and would like to get into a program to treat his drug addiction. He said he now lives with his parents and doesn’t hang around the places where he got in trouble previously. He said he felt bad that the employee was hurt and lost his job.

Cass County Circuit Court Judge Mark Herman noted that Warner’s criminal history goes back to 2014 and that he had succeeded on probation in the past. 

“You’ve shown you have the ability to do the programs but you’ve chosen over the years to not do it or revert back,” he said. “If you don’t learn from what’s happened the last 10 to 12 years, it will be a revolving door.”

“You seem to be a slow learner,” the judge added. “Now you’re facing a possible prison sentence over stealing a few items. You need to appreciate that every time you come back to court, the guidelines will be more severe.”

“I’m a man of my word,” Judge Herman said. “If I see you back here again, you will go to prison. Appreciate that. Next time you pick up items and don’t pay for them, think long and hard if it’s worth going to prison over. You’re getting one more break today, this is your last opportunity.”