A beer worth risking a year in jail
By JESSIE STENSLAND
Whidbey News Times Assistant editor
August 7, 2009 · 10:07 AM
A 22-year-old transient who lives in the Oak Harbor area was charged with a felony after he stole a 12-pack of Corona beer from a convenience store July 15, court documents state.
Prosecutors charged Michael Johnson in Island County Superior Court July 20 with burglary in the second degree and theft in the third degree. He could face from nine months to a year in jail if convicted of the charge.
At 5 o’clock in the morning, an employee at 7-Eleven South in Oak Harbor reported to police that a man with facial hair walked out of the store with a pack of beer, for which he had not paid.
An Oak Harbor police officer checked the area of S. Beeksma Drive and SW Bayshore Drive, where there’s a storage container “that is known for transients to sleep behind,” the officer wrote.
The officer found Johnson sitting down with a 12-pack of Corona, drinking from one of the bottles, the report states.
According to court documents, Johnson had previously been “trespassed” from the store, which means he wasn’t allowed to go on the property.
Johnson’s criminal history includes arrests for 27 “failures to comply,” nine third-degree thefts, two burglaries, two criminal trespasses, a possession of stolen property, malicious mischief, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana, the report states.
Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.Comment on this story.
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