Sibley, Iowa — A former Osceola County Sheriff’s Deputy who pled guilty in a plea agreement in the case of several stolen items being found on a farm place in rural Osceola County — has been sentenced to 180 days in jail on seven felony counts and one misdemeanor.
According to court records, 52-year-old Michael Lawrence Block of Sibley pled guilty in February in Osceola County District Court in a plea agreement. The records say Block was in possession of several pieces of stolen agriculture and construction equipment from Osceola, O’Brien, Sioux, and Lyon Counties.
As part of the plea agreement, eleven other charges were dropped.
Block was originally charged with seven counts of First Degree Theft, a class C felony. On the three counts that remained, Block was sentenced to ten years in prison on each count for a total of 30 years in prison, however this was all suspended, as were fines of $3000 and surcharges of $1050. Block will serve three years probation on the First Degree Theft charges, which will run consecutively to the probation for the other charges.
He was originally sentenced to ten counts of Second Degree Theft, a class D felony. On the four counts that remained, he was sentenced to five years in prison on each count, for a total of 20 more years, but again this was all suspended, as were fines of $3000 and surcharges of $1050. Block will serve three more years probation on the Second Degree Theft Charges.
Block was actually sentenced to incarceration only on the misdemeanor count of Fourth Degree Theft. He will serve 180 days in jail, or 210 days if he elects to do work release. Fines and surcharges were also suspended on the misdemeanor count.
Among conditions of his sentence, he was ordered to comply with his mental healthcare providers, sign a release authorizing his mental healthcare providers to provide information to his probation officer, attorneys of records and the Court and obtain a new mental health evaluation, if recommended by his probation officer.
