A Browning man was given a probationary sentence and stern lecture from Flathead District Court Judge Robert Allison on Thursday for his involvement with break-ins and burglaries that occurred in Essex on May 16-18, 2015.

Merlyn Roger Lee Marceau Jr. was given a 10-year sentence with the Montana Department of Corrections, all suspended, for one count of felony theft and another count of felony burglary.

Additionally, Marceau will have to pay back more than $6,000 in restitution owed his victims.

Marceau was involved in a string of burglaries that occurred in the Essex area last summer. His co-defendant, Leif Ness, has been released from custody and charges against him are working through the system.

“He has no prior criminal history,” Marceau’s attorney Vicki Frazier pointed out to the judge as he mulled the recommended sentence.

Frazier said Marceau is jobless, has not graduated high school and relies on food stamps to support himself.

She asked that the judge suspend the fines and fees associated with the case.

Allison granted part of the request and suspended half of the fines and fees, and said that while it is sometimes easy to look at property crimes as lesser offenses, they are more than an irksome nuisance and can inflict substantial mental distress on the victims.

“These offenses are not trivial,” Allison said. “They are very, very serious.”

Allison ordered Marceau to find a job within 60 days or enroll in a high school diploma equivalence class.

“Do something to better yourself and get out of whatever rut you’ve been in,” Allison said.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.