A San Diego man will serve a year in jail after pleading guilty to committing felony crimes in his roommate’s name. NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes reports.
A San Diego man whose life was made "hell" by a former roommate convicted of stealing his passport and giving it to police when he was arrested for several crimes had the chance to address his old friend in a courtroom Thursday.
NBC 7 has been following Tyeshay Davis’ story since June. Thursday's sentencing hearing for Dion Henderson was one of the final chapters.
“I brought you into my family and the holiday gardens when you were alone with no one,” Davis told Henderson in his victim impact statement. “My family bought you gifts and fed you as if you were one of their own and you completely spit in their face.”
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Henderson initially faced 13 felony and misdemeanor charges after he committed crimes and, when caught, gave authorities the passport he'd stolen from Davis.
Henderson stole $500 from someone at Sycuan Casino, another $500 from someone at Cabo Cantina in Pacific Beach and stole $800 worth of stuff from Macy’s at Plaza Bonita Mall. Henderson also got a DUI earlier this spring and posed as Davis during his arrest. Nine more charges were dropped.
He was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation.
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“In the realm of criminal negotiating, that's not abnormal when we're looking at kind of coming to a particular sentence,” said Deputy District Attorney Joel Madero.
Davis said he felt the sentence was weak considering the charges. His wife, Amber, is grateful it's all over. She was pregnant as their lives turned upside down.
“I was really stressed out about, you know, ‘Is my husband going to get arrested while he's driving when the police pull him over? Is something going to happen?’” she said.
Judge Jeffrey Fraser agreed Henderson deserved more time, but sentencing was not up to him.
“I don't blame you,” he said to Davis in court. “Obviously, he made your life hell. Nobody in this room really appreciates, particularly Mr. Henderson, all that you went through because of his actions.”
If Henderson violates his probation, he could be sent back to spend years in jail.
Prosecutors tell NBC 7 that identity theft is becoming more egregious and they stress how important it is to safeguard your important documents.
