Feb. 22—GRAND FORKS — A man was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 20, to 10 years, first serving three, for various criminal charges arising from the theft of a semi that he damaged while evading law enforcement.
Mark Steven Crompton, 44, pleaded guilty to six crimes: four felonies and two misdemeanors.
The charges are Class A felony theft worth more than $50,000, Class B felony criminal mischief causing more than $10,000 in damage, two counts of Class C felony unlawful entry into a vehicle to commit a crime, Class A misdemeanor theft between $500 and $1,000 and Class B misdemeanor refusal to halt.
Crompton had fled while being pursued for a separate theft investigation in the early morning hours of May 27, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
A call came in to the Grand Forks Police Department around the same time regarding a stolen 2005 Peterbilt. The semi had been taken from the Ironhide Bobcat dealership; the salesman who reported it said he’d left the keys in the vehicle.
The semi was valued at $140,000, with an additional $110,000 in value for an attached trailer and $250,000 for an excavator, the affidavit said.
Much later in the day, the semi was found abandoned in Reynolds, North Dakota, and returned to the dealership.
Ironhide reported that there was damage to the instrument cluster, air lines, brakes and steering column, which totaled $11,889.96.
Law enforcement identified a jacket and hat found within the semi as belonging to Crompton, because he had been wearing both while fleeing earlier that day, according to the affidavit.
At the hearing Thursday, Crompton was sentenced in all of his pending Grand Forks County cases, which appear to be primarily comprised of thefts.
The cases were all settled concurrently, meaning he will serve the sentences all at once rather than back-to-back.
Crompton has credit for 127 days served. He will be on supervised probation for three years during which, if he violates any conditions, he may be at risk of serving the remaining seven years in his sentence.
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