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Federal Judge Gives Auto Thief Sentence, Advice

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 19, 2007

TAMPA - Quincy Michael Newton has "this almost irresistible urge to take vehicles," his attorney says.

Last year, that urge drove Newton to steal the wrong guy's car.

Newton, 20, of St. Petersburg, came to Tampa and stole an unmarked federal police vehicle, a Dodge Durango assigned to John Joyce, the agent in charge of the local Secret Service office.

Joyce went to his SUV and found a screwdriver instead, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Palermo at Newton's sentencing hearing.

Newton took the SUV and drove it through St. Petersburg with the lights flashing and speaker blaring, Palermo told U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday.

Joyce, who was not in court for the sentencing Monday, said he had finished giving a presentation to the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce at a local hotel when he discovered his vehicle was gone.

"I knew right away what must have happened," Joyce said. "I was glad I didn't keep anything valuable, work-related, weapons or body armor or anything like that inside."

The SUV was recovered the night it was stolen, he said.

"How come you keep stealing all these cars?" the judge asked Newton, who shrugged and shook his head before being sentenced.

"Why are you stealing them if you're not selling them or cutting them up for parts?

"Just a joy ride?"

"Yes, sir," Newton replied.

"Were you sober when you did this?"

"Sometimes," Newton replied. "Sometimes I was high, you know."

"You keep doing this, somebody's going to lose patience," the judge said. "You could get yourself shot or shoot somebody else."

Merryday sentenced Newton to 18 months in federal prison, to be served at the same time as a nearly three-year state prison sentence for car theft.

Joyce said he thinks the sentence was appropriate. "The man was prosecuted and received his sentence that I think is a fair sentence," he said. Asked why he wasn't in court, he said, "To me, it's not one of our priority cases. We've got more important cases that were working."

He said he's more careful these days with his car. "I use The Club now, certainly, and there's an alarm outfitted on the vehicle."

As Newton was being led away, the judge called out, "Quit stealing those cars, man!"

"Yes, sir," Newton said.

"Get a job," Merryday continued, "you can buy one."

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837 or esilvestrini@tampatrib.com.

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