Percy Frame
Courtesy of the WCSO
A 42-year-old man who was been outspoken and even removed from court during previous hearings was sentenced Monday to one to 10 years for using a knife to rob an acquaintance of a mountain bike.
Percy Frame wasn’t quiet by any means during the sentencing in Judge Darlene O’Brien’s courtroom, but there wasn’t the type of volatility that characterized past appearances.
Once again, Frame asked the court to look further into the incident because there were eyewitnesses who could clear his name.
“Was anybody really looking at this case? I want someone to investigate this,” he said. “I’m going to the joint about a bicycle.”
There was also some dispute about the restitution Frame would have to pay for the bike, which had bent handlebars and flat tires when Frame was finished with it, said Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brenda Taylor.
Police said Frame dropkicked an acquaintance and took the bike from him at knifepoint in Ypsilanti a year ago this month.
“The defendant pulled a knife out and said, ‘I should cut you,’” Taylor said.
The bike belonged to the victim’s stepson, according to Taylor, and had to be replaced with a brand new one costing $250 because Frame destroyed it.
Frame contested the amount, saying he knew the bike was only worth about $50. Regardless, O’Brien ordered $250 as the restitution amount.
Frame ultimately kept his cool and the sentencing went off without incident.
“I shouldn’t have been using drugs,” Frame said. “I’m going to change. I’m going to turn a negative into a positive.”
Attorneys in court Monday said Frame has been convicted of 27 misdemeanors in the past. Frame was sentenced concurrent terms of one to five years for carrying a weapon with unlawful intent and one to 10 years for larceny from a person. A count of armed robbery and his habitual offender status was dismissed.
The judge also ruled that Frame, who has a history of homelessness, drug abuse and mental illness, is eligible for treatment while in prison.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.