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ALPENA -- A poor choice of companions contributed to a woman's drug charges, Judge Ed Black said in Alpena's 26th Circuit Court on Monday.
Black sentenced Krisha Amlotte, 47, to two years' probation related to a 2019 incident in which police searched Amlotte's property on suspicion people had been using it to make methamphetamine.
During the search, police found drug residue Amlotte admitted was hers. She pleaded guilty to several drug charges in June.
The prosecution dismissed separate charges stemming from a 2020 traffic stop, during which police found a syringe in Amlotte's glove compartment.
Amlotte's companion, Shane Fitzpatrick, talked on the phone outside the vehicle during the stop, saying police were about to find his syringe, Black said during Monday's hearing.
Amlotte's attorney on Monday shared letters of support commending Amlotte's character. To maintain that good character, Black advised, Amlotte should choose carefully with whom she associates.
Also in court on Monday:
∫ Niceness doesn't make up for ongoing illegal behavior, Black told defendant Donald Williams, who admitted to home invasion and larceny after being convicted for the same offense several years ago.
Williams, 25, is polite and intelligent, Williams' attorney said on Williams' behalf, with which Black agreed.
But, Black said, "it doesn't change the fact, sir, that you continue to go into people's homes."
Black sentenced Williams to 19 months to five years for the crimes, for which Williams was arrested in March.
∫ Duane Lanning, 34, said he doesn't remember threatening to shoot a woman who would not have sex with him because he was intoxicated at the time of the crime.
Lanning, who was arrested in February, pleaded no contest to assault with a dangerous weapon for the Alpena County incident and will be sentenced in September.
∫ A local man has one year to pay off thousands of dollars in restitution after he admitted to several larceny charges.
Dustin Zbytowski, 20, must also write a letter to a victim explaining what he learned from his experience, Black said during Monday's sentencing.
A one-year jail sentence will be held in abeyance, not to be served if Zbytowski pays about $10,000 in restitution on time.
"I'm just going to be honest," Black told the defendant. "I don't like thieves."
Zbytowski apologized for his actions and pledged to work hard to repay his victims.
Breaking and entering charges and an accusation of stealing vehicle fuel were dismissed as part of Zbytowski's plea agreement.