A Cleveland man who entered two offices and stole wallets at Bowling Green State University has been sentenced to prison.
Larry Cobb, 65, was transported from the jail Tuesday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matt Reger.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, four counts of theft, identity fraud and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. The charges were the result of three separate indictments.
Wood County Assistant Prosecutor Brian Boos recommended sentences for the three cases be served concurrently for a total of five years.
After the plea was agreed upon by defense attorney LaRon Bankston, Reger went straight to sentencing.
He said the maximum terms for the burglary charges were eight and 12 years. On the charge of engaging in a pattern of corruption, the maximum sentence allowed was 16.5 years.
Boos said that on Aug. 18, 2022, Cobb entered an office in University Hall on the BGSU campus and took multiple credit cards.
Bowling Green Police Division helped identify Cobb through its license plate reader cameras.
Cobb returned to University Hall on Sept. 27, 2022, when he entered an office and removed a backpack from under a desk without permission. He was identified by video surveillance.
From Nov. 29, 2021, to Sept. 27, 2022, he and his alleged associates entered numerous businesses, stole credit cards and then used them to purchase merchandise elsewhere.
The incidents occurred in Cuyahoga, Lake, Wood, Lucas, Portage, Delaware, Franklin and Hancock counties
The evidence to support these charges include cell phone pings and surveillance footage, Boos said.
Bankston said his client was entering the twilight years of his life and he wanted to put this behind him.
Cobb said he would make no excuse for his behavior and accepted responsibility for what he did.
“I failed me,” he said.
Reger imposed the recommended five years minimum sentence and a maximum of 7.5 years due to a Reagan Tokes Law qualifying charge.
Eight hundred days remaining on a post-release control sentence in Cuyahoga County, by law, will be served consecutively.
