Judge believes some of William Sowards' crimes could have been avoided
Willam Lee Sowards, 36, received 18 months to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three of six felony charges.
Defense attorney Chris Vreeland admitted Sowards "was a one-man crime wave."
Branch County Circuit Court Judge Bill O'Grady blamed the defendants' handling during COVID-19 and bail reform for allowing the spree to take place.
After arrests, Sowards was not placed in jail because of COVID-19 or released due to health concerns from the pandemic or released on low bonds.
"One of the best ways to stop crime is to lock those up who committed, and you'll be amazed at the amount of crime that doesn't happen," O'Grady said.
"When people get locked up, then we let people out, or we close jails around the state, this is what happens," O'Grady said. "Now we're cleaning up the mess."
Sowards is not the only defendant with multiple releases and new crimes, not just in Branch, but in other counties.
"I just hope all agencies statewide learn from this and try and figure this out," the judge said.
Sowards was remorseful. He said drug habits after a break-up with the mother of his children were a problem.
"I'd just like to take the responsibility to say I screwed up. I know my drug habits can be an issue, but in the end, it was my chaotic behavior," he said.
He apologized to the victims and the community. Sowards said he "regretted the things I've done in this community."
With few priors, prosecutor Zack Stempien said, "In this case, the guidelines were never going to be higher than what they are."
Sowards did not face much prison time because Michigan Sentencing Guidelines were low. Sowards used no weapons, and the individual property taken was not of high value. However, there was a high cumulative value.
Sowards was ordered to make nearly $30,000 restitution to victims of his theft spree. He did help recover some items of personal value to the victims, including a guitar taken from the Eby Center.
Sowards admitted he broke into Cornwell Computers at 397 West Chicago on Oct. 21. On Jan. 21, Sowards entered Snyders Laundromat at 65 West Pearl St. He broke into vending machines.
In February, he broke into a shed at Virginia Manor Apartments. The weather was freezing, and often homeless Sowards wanted to get warm. To prevent his identification, he stole the surveillance equipment.
Sowards did not dispute he broke into and stole items from Pines Behavioral Health and Karim Healthcare. He did not get caught until after he broke into Bill's Grill on Feb. 13.
Identified on surveillance video, police tracked Sowards to Coldwater, where he was arrested and held for a final time.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: The judge believes some of William Sowards crimes could been avoided
