An 18-year-old woman has pleaded guilty in relation to her role in an alleged robbery of a party store located in Hampton Township. Prosecutors agreed to drop one charge of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny in exchange for the woman’s plea of guilty to one count of the same charge. Prosecutors also dropped a lesser charge of receiving and concealing stolen property as an element of the plea deal. Breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment under Michigan state law.

The alleged incident occurred at approximately 4:11 a.m. on the morning of May 10 in the 500 block of West Center Road. According to court records, police quickly apprehended two male suspects after the incident, one of whom told the police that they had been with a woman who he identified as his girlfriend.

Surveillance video of the incident allegedly showed one of the men kicking in a glass door at the party store. All three of the suspects fled the scene after the door shattered without entering the store. One of the suspects allegedly told investigators that the trio had planned to steal alcohol and money from the store.

A person accused of a felony charge may wish to consult with a criminal defense attorney. It might be possible to secure a favorable plea deal in exchange for a defendant’s testimony against other possible defendants in a given case. The attorney might also argue that the testimony against their client was implausible as the other individuals involved in the crime could not provide reliable testimony.

Source: MLive, “Second member of Bay County trio accused of breaking into party store pleads guilty”, Cole Waterman, July 31, 2014