By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
NILES – Recent court action in Berrien County Trial Court includes sentences for drugs, theft and assault.
An Indiana man who took a car out for a test drive and never returned it was sentenced to prison.
Gage Nathanial Ramer, 23, of Osceola, pleaded guilty to receiving, concealing and possession of stolen property-motor vehicle and carrying a concealed weapon in a car and was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of 12 months to five years and 18 months to five years. He has credit for 56 days already served.
The incident occurred March 6 when Ramer took out a 2006 Scion for a test drive from Premier Auto in Elkhart and never returned it. He was stopped later that day on South 11th Street in Niles Township.
Ramer also received a sentence of credit for time served for use of marijuana on the same occasion. He must pay a total of $796 in fines and costs.
Berrien County Trial Judge Charles LaSata refused defense attorney Jason Engram’s request that Ramer be able to serve the prison sentence in Indiana where he also faces charges. “He committed the crime in Michigan, he will serve his time in Michigan,” the judge said.
Ramer acknowledged that he “made some mistakes” and added that he needs help to make himself better.
“I’m going to send you to prison where you belong,” LaSata said. “In the future, tell your car stealing, drug taking friends not to come to Michigan. I want to send a message to you and other Hoosiers to stay south of the state line.”
In another prison sentence, a man who tried to set off an explosive device when being served with a court order by a process server is going to prison.
Raymond Wesley Terpening, 61, of Karen Drive in Galien, pleaded guilty to
resisting and obstructing an officer and possession of an explosive device with intent to frighten and was sentenced to 16 months to five years in prison. He has credit for 339 days already served and must pay $68.
The incident occurred May 26, 2017 in Galien Township. A process server was serving a personal protection order on Terpening when Terpening confronted him with a stick of dynamite.
Defense attorney Paul Jancha, Jr. noted that Terpening was initially found to be incompetent to stand trial and then received treatment for his paranoid schizophrenia. “He certainly was not himself when this happened,” Jancha said.
“I understand you have issues but it doesn’t matter to people why you did it,” LaSata said. “Police came to serve you and you threatened them. Prison is appropriate.”
A Holland woman was sentenced to probation and jail for attempted credit card fraud involving more than $25,000 at locations throughout Southwest Michigan.
Glinisha Shanae Brown, 33 of Holland, pleaded guilty to attempted financial transaction device fraud between $1,000 and $20,000 and was sentenced to five years probation, 180 days in jail, $27,608.25 restitution and $1,258 in fines and costs. She has credit for 45 days already served.
The incidents occurred last summer at area locations. Brown would deposit fraudulent checks at United Federal Credit Union branches and then make withdrawals. The total taken was $27,608.25.
LaSata noted that Brown had 15 prior convictions from all across Southwest Michigan and western Michigan as well as northern Illinois. He also pointed out that she had failed to appear for a court hearing and then called and wrote his office from jail repeatedly.
“You’re a flim flam person,” he said. “You steal from people, abuse people and then say you’re a good person. Your behavior has been ridiculous. You’re an 8.5 out of 10 on the difficult customer scale.”
“Your first conviction was in Illinois in 2004 and then you had ones in Ottawa County, at Western Michigan University, in Wayland, Holland and Baroda,” he said. “I encourage you to be honest with yourself … These were multiple criminal acts over three months. Each time you had to think about it. It shows a sort of depraved heart. You need to cool your heels.”
The judge had words of encouragement for another woman convicted of embezzling money from an assisted living home resident.
Jordan Michelle Welch, 22, of South 13th Street in Niles, pleaded guilty to
embezzlement of a vulnerable adult $1,000 to $20,000 and was sentenced to 18 months probation, 30 days in jail, 60 hours of community service and $1,904.22 in fines, costs and restitution.
The incident occurred Feb. 1 while Welch worked at the Woodland Terrace facility in Niles Township. She took a credit card belonging to an elderly resident and racked up over $1,000 in purchases on it.
Welch tearfully apologized for her actions and called herself a “horrible person.” “I’m not sure you’re a horrible person,” LaSata told her. “It’s terrible and horrible what you did but I see horrible people all the time and you’re not there.”
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