A Seaman man was sentenced to three years of community control on stolen property charges recently in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

James Braley, 34, was sentenced on one count of receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony, and a forfeiture specification. He was accepted into the New Way to Recovery Drug Court Docket.

He was ordered to forfeit $1,500 to the Highland County Task Forceand to pay restitution of $611.55 to the victim alongside his co-defendant and $1,500 to the Highland County Task Force along with his co-defendant through the Highland County Victim Witness Office.

According to court documents for both counts, on or around Nov. 10, 2022, a confidential informant (CI) made contact with someone and arranged to purchase a stolen side-by-side UTV from them for $2,000. The 2015 Kawasaki UTV was reported as stolen from a barn on Woodland Drive in Hillsboro and was valued at $16,700.

A detective and the CI went to a residence on Chillicothe Avenue in Hillsboro and purchased the UTV from them and Braley for $2,000, where that person also talked about the theft of the UTV. After the detective and CI left, the original contact and Braley left in a vehicle. A sergeant tried to stop the vehicle, after which that vehicle fled before eventually crashing on East Main Street.

The passenger, who identified himself as Braley, was apprehended at the scene. He was found to have $1,500 in cash in his pocket. The serial numbers on the cash found on his person matched the serial numbers from the purchase money that was used to purchase the stolen UTV. The UTV was then identified and returned to its original owner.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.