Local residents sentenced on drug, assault, insurance fraud charges

CASSOPOLIS — An Edwardsburg man who threatened people with a gun in Dowagiac in 2020 and then stole a golf cart in Edwardsburg in 2021 was sentenced to jail.

Michael James Parkey, 37, of Elkhart Road in Edwardsburg, pleaded guilty in both cases.

In the 2020 case, Parkey pleaded guilty to assault and battery and use of meth and was sentenced to credit for time served and $665 in fines and costs. That incident occurred Oct. 24, 2020 in Dowagiac.

In the 2021 case, he pleaded guilty to breaking and entering a building with intent to commit larceny and misdemeanor malicious destruction of personal property and was sentenced to 365 days in jail with credit for 175 days served and $1,848 in fines and costs. That incident occurred May 10, 2021 in Edwardsburg.

"I'm sorry for everything, I was on drugs really bad," Parkey said. "I see where I was wrong."

Clavron Robinson, 20, of Johnson Street in Dowagiac, pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material and was sentenced to three years probation, 365 days in jail with credit for 240 days served and $1,278 in fines and costs and $521.55 in restitution.

Judge Herman ordered that Robinson can serve the rest of the jail sentence on tether. Robinson cannot use any device to access the internet, not reside within 1,000 feet of a school or 500 feet of a park or pool and must register as a sex offender.

The incident occurred in December, 2020 when police received a tip of child pornography from the National Center for Exploited Children. The search came back to Robinson's mother's computer with email and twitter accounts traced to Robinson. A search of the computer found hundreds of images of children, some as young as toddlers.

A Union man who committed insurance fraud and other offenses was sentenced to probation.

Douglas Barbour, 47, of Union, pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing serious impairment or death, insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and lying to a peace officer-all as a habitual offender and was sentenced to three years probation, 365 days on tether and $4,482 in fines and costs.

The incident occurred Sept. 28, 2018 in Union. He was driving an all terrain vehicle and was involved in an accident in which his passenger suffered severe fractures to his legs. Barbour left the scene and tried to say that he wasn't there or involved in the accident.

"You're no stranger to the system, you served prison sentences for breaking and entering, receiving stolen firearms and delivery of meth," Judge Herman said. "You have earned an associate's degree and have a good work history since then … It's obviously a fairly foolish thing you did."