Thomas Michael Johnson, 51, of Van Buren Township pleaded guilty to one count of Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property at a court session April 27 before 34th District Court Chief Judge Tina Brooks Green.
Johnson was represented by a court-appointed attorney. In his plea deal, two of three Receiving and Concealing charges were dismissed.
Johnson told the judge he was to have heart valve surgery in May. Judge Green put him on probation and will sentence him in two months.
The break-in victim who owned the stolen goods possessed by Johnson will receive notice of the sentencing date. She asked for restitution and she will need to show proof of out-of-pocket expenses.
Johnson was arrested April 4 by Van Buren Township Police after being found with a stolen flat-screened TV and other stolen items.
In a news release April 30, VBT Police Captain Greg Laurain said with Johnson’s arrest, police came closer to solving the rash of home invasions in the Denton Subdivision from November through April.
Captain Laurain said Special Investigative Unit (SIU) personnel spent countless hours of surveillance and investigating tips. He said they put together five cases after seeing Johnson attempting to transport stolen property from his residence in the 6500 block of Parkside in Town and Country mobile home park. He was carrying a flat screened TV stolen from a Michigan Avenue home the day before.
Laurain said a search warrant was executed on Johnson’s residence and a large cache of jewelry and electronics were seized along with prescriptions narcotics bottles from prior break-ins in Denton Subdivision.
Court portion of the story written from court notes taken by Diane Madigan.