Shoplifter gets four years

EPHRATA — A Grant County Superior Court judge decided to ignore the prosecutor’s recommendation in the case of a shoplifter.

Judge Evan Sperline sentenced James Gonzales, 38, Moses Lake, to four years in prison, three months less than the maximum possible after prosecutors recommended he receive the minimum sentence of three years and six weeks, which is the low end of the sentencing range, according to court records.

Gonzales’ guilty plea to burglary in the second degree was the latest in a 21-year-long criminal history, including robbery in the second degree, burglary in the second degree, theft in the second degree and taking a motor vehicle without permission, according to court records.

Gonzales loaded a cart with stereo equipment at the Ephrata Walmart in February. Walking past the checkstands, he tried to leave. An employee tried to stop him by stepping in front of his cart, according to an Ephrata police report.

Surveillance cameras showed Gonzales push the employee away, leaving the store, according to the police report.

Sperline also prohibited Gonzales from going within 100 feet of the Ephrata Walmart.