A 29-year-old ex-convict who said addiction drove him to steal appliances from new homes in The Villages, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Michael Joseph Leonard, 29, of Sumterville, entered a plea of no contest this week to charges of burglary and grand theft in Sumter County Court.
Video cameras at the Village of Pine Ridge gate, Village of LaBelle gate and Village of Osceola Hills gate, provided key evidence linking Leonard to the appliance thefts. The thefts took place during the month of July on Nottingham Loop, Boardroom Trail and Elliot Avenue.
The stolen appliances included microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerator, and stoves. The theft of the appliances occurred during the daytime.
When he was questioned and shown the video surveillance, Leonard attempted to explain his presence in The Villages by suggesting that he was a landscaper.
Leonard told an investigator he had traded the appliances for illegal narcotics. He said he has an addiction to opiates.
He has a lengthy criminal history, including arrests for narcotics, robbery, and firearm possession by a felon. He had been released from the Florida Department of Corrections on Jan. 22, 2014.
