Man who took family’s only vehicle gets ride to prison

Convicted by a jury of grand larceny of a motor vehicle, Randy A. Martin, 35, was sentenced Monday to 19-48 months in prison.

Martin apologized to the vehicle’s owner who offered an impact statement during his sentencing.

Attorney Kris Brown asked for a suspended sentence, saying Martin fell back into old habits due to drugs and gambling 

Prosecutor Matthew Johnson argued that Martin had a record that called for a prison sentence.

“He doesn’t have a drug problem, he has a stealing problem,” Johnson said. “He’s a thief and this isn’t the first car he’s stolen.”

The Blazer’s owner testified that he had to resort to riding his bicycle to get to work, saying that he was knocked down on one commute.

He said the family relied on the vehicle not only for work, but also to get to the store.

Martin claimed another man gave him the keys to the Blazer and that he abandoned it near Reno. 

However, the vehicle was eventually located, stripped, near Martin’s Hayward, Calif., home.

Between the time when he stole the Blazer and his conviction, Martin was placed on probation for second-degree robbery in California. He was previously arrested in Gardnerville with someone else’s identity.