New London, Minn., teen caught by DNA sentenced in snowmobile theft

WILLMAR -- Jake Andrew Doty, 19, of New London, was sentenced Monday to 62 days in jail, five years of probation, 150 hours of community service and a $50 fine on a felony charge of motor vehicle theft for stealing and damaging a snowmobile last March.

As part of his sentence handed down in Kandiyohi County District Court by Judge Donald M. Spilseth, Doty was ordered to serve two days in jail, starting on Thursday. The remaining jail time is staggered in 15-day increments over the next 2½ years and can be deferred if Doty is in compliance with probation requirements. Restitution has not yet been set.

Doty received a stay of imposition on his sentence. Under the stay, the felony conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanor if he complies with the conditions of sentence.

As part of a plea agreement, a misdemeanor charge of property damage was dismissed.

According to the complaint against Doty, DNA evidence was recovered from blood on the sled's damaged windshield and on a stocking cap found where the machine had been run through a barbed wire fence. It matched DNA collected from Doty by search warrant.

The charges were filed after a rural Spicer resident reported to the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office on March 12 that two snowmobiles had been taken from his residence. One had been returned, with a broken windshield. The other was located at another property. The value was estimated at $1,250 for the both. The damage to the windshield was estimated at $120.

DNA blood evidence was collected from the windshield and clothing items found near where the barbed wire fence was damaged.

A woman reported that Doty told her that he had gotten cuts on his face and neck, some that required stitches, by running a snowmobile through a fence. Doty denied taking either of the snowmobiles when questioned by investigators.

Investigators were granted a search warrant to collect DNA from Doty, which was analyzed by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. BCA results showed that Doty's DNA matched all four items sent to the agency for analysis.