A Churdan man was sentenced to prison for stealing about $13,000 in grain.

According to court documents, 58-year-old Richard Sabus pled guilty to an amended charge of a Class D Felony for second degree theft, and was sentenced to five years in prison. 

The charge stemmed from an investigation by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office that started on October 22, 2021. Court documents show the victim reported to the sheriff’s office that Sabus had stolen grain from him. Sabus was working as a tractor driver for the victim. Through a report submitted to the sheriff’s office from a genetic engineer of an agriculture company that resulted from a series of corn seeds that were seized with a search warrant, about 61-percent of the grain bin that Sabus owned were the corn seeds that were stolen from the victim. 

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn advocated for prison, while the defense attorney argued for probation and District Court Judge Christopher Polking agreed with Laehn. As per the plea agreement, Sabus was originally charged with a Class C Felony for first degree theft and it was amended to the Class D Felony charge. The plea agreement also shows all other charges were dismissed.