FARMINGTON — A Wilton man admitted Monday to stealing a car, driving without a license, and crashing it in a retention pond in Wilton in June.
Michael Marble, 20, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft and three misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, driving to endanger and operating vehicle without a license.
A conviction on the theft charge carried a maximum five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
A felony charge of theft and a misdemeanor charge of burglary of a motor vehicle were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
If the case had gone to trial, testimony would have shown that a Wilton resident did not know Marble before he stole her 2012 Subaru Impreza on June 15, Deputy District Attorney James Andrews said.
Another witness would have testified that he saw the car going over 100 mph and through an intersection before it crashed at the intersection of McCrillis Corner Road and Route 133 in Wilton. The car partially landed in the water at the edge of a retention pond.
The court also would have heard that the driver took off running from the scene.
Firefighters and law enforcement personnel from several departments searched for the suspect, and State Trooper Randy Hall caught up with Marble near Routes 2 and 4 in Wilton.
Hall would have testified that Marble had the key to the stolen car in his pocket, Andrews said.
Judge Richard Mulhern sentenced Marble to two years with all but 120 days suspended followed by two years of probation on the theft charge.
Marble was also sentenced to 120 days for each count of criminal mischief and the operating without a license charges, to be served at the same time as the theft sentence.
Marble received a $575 fine and a 30-day loss of license for driving to endanger.
When Mulhern asked him if his license had already been turned in, Marble said, “I never had a license.”
Marble is expected to turn himself into the Franklin County Detention Center on Dec. 1.
Michael Marble (Franklin County Detention Center)
Michael Marble, 20, of Wilton pleaded guilty Monday to stealing this 2012 Subaru Impreza from a Wilton woman on June 15 and then crashing it into a retention pond at the intersection of Route 133 and McCrillis Corner Road. (Sun Journal File Photo)
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