A Fort Wayne man who stole from Meijer stores in numerous Indiana cities will serve two years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on theft charges out of Kosciusko County, unless he qualifies for Community Corrections.

Kosciusko County Superior Court I Judge David Cates on Thursday sentenced Lee Curtis Coleman, 31, to two years to IDOC on one theft charge and two years to IDOC on a second theft charge, to be served concurrently. A count of corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony, was dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Cates told Coleman he had no objection to Coleman serving his time in Kosciusko County Community Corrections if he qualifies and remains qualified. If he does not remain qualified, Cates told him he’d return to jail for completion of his sentence. He was given 20 days credit for time served in this case.

His sentence Thursday will be served consecutively to cases Coleman has in other counties.

In Community Corrections, Coleman will be drug tested, must remain sober and have a job. He must make restitution to Meijer in the amount of $1,970.19, and not set foot on the Warsaw Meijer property again. Coleman must pay $300 to Kosciusko County for legal counsel.

On April 19, 2017, Coleman entered the Warsaw Meijer store, placed several bottles of alcohol in a shopping cart and exited the store, failing to pay for the beverages. The stolen bottles of alcohol were valued at $1,072.32.

On April 22, Coleman entered the store again, placed several bottles of alcohol in a shopping cart and  left Meijer without paying for the items. The stolen bottles of alcohol were valued at $897.87.

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Court documents filed May 1, 2017, state that Coleman had charges pending in Howard County Superior Court III, Muncie City Court and Grant County Superior Court I for conversion and Grant County Superior Court I for theft. He had a previous conviction for theft with a prior on Jan. 30, 2017, and was a suspect in 28 thefts, taking place in several Meijer stores.

During Thursday’s sentence, Coleman’s defense attorney, Joseph A. Sobek, asked him why he had a string of thefts that dated back to 2016. Coleman said he got addicted to heroin and was homeless for a while. He said it had been a rough time in his life because his father died in 2013, his family life fell apart, and he, his mom and sister all became addicted to drugs. Before that, he said he was employed and had a home.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Voelz said if you mapped all of Coleman’s crimes, they’d extend to Marion, Muncie, Kokomo and Warsaw. “When you can track a person’s movements by their crimes, that’s too much,” he said.

Until the age of 29, Sobek said, Coleman was a full and productive member of society, then things in Coleman’s life spiraled out of control, which he hoped the court would recognize. He said he didn’t think incarceration was the answer for Coleman, and he already had substantial time and responsibilities hanging over his head.

Coleman told the court, “I just want to have a chance to get out there and get my life back.”

Cates accepted the plea deal, telling Coleman he now had eight convictions for taking things that didn’t belong to him.

“What will it take to get through to you and for you not to do that?” he asked.