Ludington man gets more prison time

Timothy Lopez with his attorney, Doug Stevenson.

By Allison Scarbrough. Contributing Editor.

LUDINGTON — A 21-year-old Ludington man, who is currently serving a prison term for probation violation, was sentenced on three separate convictions Tuesday, April 14, in 51st Circuit Court, adding at least another year and nine months to his time behind bars.

Timothy Allen-Dario Lopez was sentenced to concurrent terms with the Michigan Department of Corrections of one year and nine months to six years for financial transaction device – stealing/retaining without consent; one year and nine months to seven years and six months for tampering with an electronic monitoring device (tether); and two years and four months to seven years and six months for first-degree retail fraud. Lopez was given credit for 124 days served in jail.

“It’s been a very troubling matter for the victim,” said Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola regarding the financial transaction device offense. Lopez completed 30 illegal transactions with an elderly woman’s debit card whose granddaughter he was dating, he said.

In addition to additional prison, Lopez must pay nearly $4,300 in restitution, which is joint and several with a co-defendant.

Lopez has “a long history of prior involvement with the court,” Judge Susan Sniegowski said, and “a repeated pattern of stealing from the victim over and over again. He was encouraging other people to steal from her.”