Austin Edward Miller

A Middlesex Township man responsible for causing thousands of dollars worth of damage in a theft and vandalism spree in Buffalo, Clinton, Jefferson and Penn townships will serve 11½ to 23 months in jail ... but first he must finish high school.

Butler County Judge William Shaffer on Monday sentenced 19-year-old Austin Edward Miller. And the judge approved Miller’s request to postpone the start of his prison sentence to June 24 so that the defendant may graduate from high school.

“Getting that diploma is important to him,” said Miller’s defense attorney, Jacob Wyland. “He realizes that he has dug himself a substantial hole to the beginning of life.”

Before the crime spree, Miller had no criminal record, Wyland said. But between February and April 2015, Miller was responsible for damaging or stealing multiple trucks, car parts, ATV tools and landscaping equipment.

During the same time period, Miller and his co-defendant, 21-year-old Eric Klein of Jefferson Township also allegedly damaged a bike trail, a public park and a horse boarding facility.

All the restitution bills are not in yet, but Miller will be responsible for somewhere around $30,000 when he’s released from prison and serving 8 years’ probation.

Miller, who attends a cyber high school, has no job yet, said Wyland.

“He has an interview lined up. But when he goes to apply anywhere they are going to run a background check. That’s part of the hole he has dug for himself,” Wyland said.

Miller pleaded guilty to various charges of theft and receiving stolen property in a dozen separate cases as well as one felony count of carrying a firearm without a license.

Although many people who commit theft sprees do so to pay for other issues in their lives, Wyland says his client has no such problems.

“He doesn’t have mental health issues or do drugs,” Wyland said. “During (the course of prosecution) he’s been tested for drugs multiple times, and he’s always been clean. He does not do drugs.”

Wyland said his client since birth had been raised by his grandparents, who are well respected in the community and “wonderful, kind people.”

However, Wyland noted that Miller’s grandfather died in 2006. “They were very close. In a lot of ways this is a very unique case.”

Miller’s co-defendant, Klein, earlier pleaded guilty in eight of the same cases. He also was scheduled to be sentenced Monday, but his hearing was postponed.

Earlier, Klein entered a plea arrangement that calls for his him to spend 72 months in the county’s intermediate punishment program.

During the first four months of the program, Klein would be in the county prison. For the four months after his release, Klein would be on house arrest with electronic monitoring. For the remaining five years, Klein would be on probation.