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Youngstown man sentenced for 'renting' stolen car
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Brian Lewis told a municipal court judge Friday he had no idea the car he had “rented” last week from a man in the parking lot of a South Side store was stolen.
Lewis, 41, of East Earle Avenue, told Judge Elizabeth Kobly he had only paid for the car he got from a man in the lot at Market Street and Cleveland Avenue because he was going on a date with his girlfriend – and only had it for 20 minutes when police pulled him over Aug. 4.
“I had a date with my girlfriend. That’s all it was supposed to be,” Lewis said. “Twenty minutes later, I was pulled over.”
Lewis pleaded no contest Friday to a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property, amended from a felony; possession of drug paraphernalia; and driving under suspension. Judge Kobly found him guilty and ordered him to serve 30 days in the county jail, with credit for 10 served since his arrest.
Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno said the reason he amended the stolen property charge to a misdemeanor is because Lewis was not the man who stole the car. The person who did steal it Aug. 3 has a much different description than Lewis, Moliterno said.
The owner of the car, Mary Higham, also was on hand at sentencing. She said it has cost her $607 so far in fees and other costs since she got her car back.
Higham said it was dropped off at a South Side body shop to get the bumper repaired about 12:30 p.m. Aug. 3 and was taken about 10 minutes after it was dropped off. The owner of the shop said in a police report he was moving vehicles around and left the keys on the floor to come back, and someone with dreadlocks got in the car and drove away.
The owner chased the car thief but lost him, reports said. Higham said the car was trashed when she got it back three days later.
“It was deplorable inside,” Higham said. “It was horrible that someone would do that.”
Lewis said he did not know the car was stolen when he agreed to pay $50 to rent it for a couple of hours. He was pulled over after police spotted him about 10:10 p.m. Aug. 4 in the 1900 block of Summer Street. Judge Kobly said she was not sure she believed Lewis.
“He knew what he was buying for $50, didn’t you?” Judge Kobly asked.
Lewis said he knew the person who offered him the car and thought he could trust him.
“He [the man in parking lot] said it was from his people,” Lewis said.
When asked by the judge, Lewis said he takes medication for mental problems and when he does not take the medication, he takes heroin. Judge Kobly said that explains his past record of theft offenses,.
“You’re old enough to know better, and you’re wise enough to know better,” Judge Kobly said. “But you’re a thief. That’s what you do.”
Besides the jail time, Lewis must make restitution of $607 to Higham by the end of November, and he also was placed on 18 months’ probation.