MANKATO — A man linked to high-end bicycle thefts in 2023 was sentenced to jail time.
Taylor Mitchel Spence, 34, previously listed as of Mason City, Iowa, was convicted in Blue Earth County District Court on a felony for receiving stolen property.
Spence and Nathaniel Mark Thompson, 39, of Mankato, were charged in connection to the theft of five bicycles worth a combined $26,250, according to a criminal complaint. Police reportedly found the two riding some of the bikes.
Thompson received a prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of receiving stolen property and drug sales in December 2023. His term was set to last 97 months, two-thirds of it in prison, minus credit for time already served.
Spence’s 30-month prison sentence handed down Wednesday is stayed for three years while he serves on supervised probation. He’ll serve 112 days in jail.
The sentence is a downward durational departure from sentencing guidelines, according to court records.