ROSEDALE — A Rosedale man was sentenced to two to four years in prison after he was convicted of stripping a $30,000 van owned by a Korean church used to shuttle elderly and infirm members to prayer services, the district attorney said.
Benjamin Livermore, 31, was spotted by a witness Oct. 19, 2011, around 1 p.m. removing auto parts from a 2011 blue Ford van and putting them in another red van nearby, District Attorney Richard Brown said. The van, owned by the New Greater Church of New York, was later stolen, the DA said.
“The van that this defendant was stripping of its parts for his own benefit served as a lifeline to many of the elderly parishioners who depended on it to attend prayer services,” Brown said. “This is not the first time the defendant has been convicted of auto stripping and thus the sentence imposed is an appropriate punishment and hopefully will make him think twice before repeating his actions when he is released from prison.”
Livermore was convicted of second-degree auto stripping, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and possession of burglar’s tools March 22, 2013, following an eight-day jury trial, Brown said.
