On Friday, Sept. 7, Trevor James Blackwell, 26, Charlevoix was sentenced to prison in the 33^rd Circuit Court for breaking and entering a pole barn with intent and tampering with evidence. Blackwell was subject to an enhanced sentence because he had previous felony convictions.

According to affidavits filed by police, on Sept. 10, 2017, Blackwell and other individuals broke into two different medical marijuana grow operations where they stole over 100 marijuana plants.

While Blackwell was awaiting trial on these charges, he convinced one of his fellow offenders to write a false letter stating that Blackwell was not involved. The letter was given to Blackwell’s attorney for use in court, but under oath the witness admitted the letter was false.

Circuit Court Judge Roy C. Hayes III sentenced Blackwell to 48 to 240 months in prison on the breaking and entering charge and an additional 23 to 48 months on the evidence tampering charge to be served consecutively. Blackwell received 112 days of jail credit.

Blackwell was also charged originally with larceny $20,000 or more (for the other marijuana theft), home invasion first degree (for the theft of a television on a different date) and witness intimidation. Those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

“One of the most important parts of the sentence was the consecutive time on the evidence tampering,” Charlevoix County Prosecuting Attorney Allen Telgenhof said. “It was discretionary by the court, however, the judge agreed that to sentence that time concurrently would give no punishment for the crime. It is important that when someone is charged with a crime that they know if they intimidate witnesses or create false evidence, they will be getting more time behind bars.”