James Newton. Contributed photo.
A Sharon man accused of issuing a rubber check to buy a car from a Brookfield dealer has been sentenced to prison.
James O. Newton, 68, pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to a felony count of passing a bad check. Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald J. Rice sentenced Newton that day to 9 months in prison.
Newton bought a 2007 Chevrolet Equinox from Cars II on Dec. 2 for $5,054, but the check was returned for insufficient funds, Brookfield police said.
Newton had left another vehicle at the lot that his son was supposed to pick up, police said, That vehicle had been purchased in Danville, Ohio, on Oct. 30, 2022, with a check that had been written on a dead account, police said.
Brookfield police said they learned on March 11 that police in Cattaraugus County, New York, had Newton in custody and had recovered the Equinox. Newton turned himself in on the Brookfield warrant on May 2, police said.
