An Appleton man will be going to prison for his role in a wrench-aided robbery in Grand Chute.
Court records show that 40-year-old Michael Thorpe was in Outagamie County court on Friday (July 25th) for his sentencing hearing after a jury found him guilty of being a party to Armed Robbery and Criminal Damage to Property in May.
At Friday’s hearing, Judge Mark Schroeder sentenced Thorpe to 16 years in prison, followed by 11 years on extended supervision.
The 40-year-old was originally facing an additional charge of Substantial Battery – Intending Bodily Harm; however, the jury deemed he was not guilty of the offense.
Authorities in Grand Chute were called back in August of last year to the report of a robbery at a coin store.
Police learned that the suspect was described as a man disguised as a woman who used a wrench as a weapon to strike an employee before smashing a display case and stealing merchandise.
The suspect, Beau Wastel, made off with the stolen goods while Thorpe served as the getaway driver.
Another man, Corey Schmitz, has also been implicated in the crime as well.
Wastel returns to court on August 27th for a sentencing hearing, while Schmitz will be back on September 11th for a pre-trial conference.
