A Mississippi man was convicted Monday after he was prosecuted under the state’s “life habitual” statute.
According to a news release, 42-year-old Robert Louis Sorel was found guilty of embezzlement by trust after a jury took only 20 minutes.
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Sorel was suspected of taking a truck from a relative and failing to return it, according to court records.
According to the announcement, deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office were summoned to a home in Vancleave on April 20, 2023, to investigate a missing truck.
When deputies arrived, they were informed that Sorel had borrowed a truck from a family member for a quick in-town excursion four days prior and had yet to return, according to the release.
Ten days after borrowing the truck in Mississippi, Sorel was captured in Tennessee after leading authorities on a chase through a Tennessee state park, according to the release.
In addition to the Mississippi allegations, Sorel was accused in Tennessee of driving under the influence and avoiding arrest, according to the announcement.
Sorel acknowledged stealing the truck during the trial, but he was unable to provide an explanation for how he got to Tennessee, the statement said.
Sorel was charged as a habitual life offender due to his severe criminal record.
“This defendant’s conviction may have been for a nonviolent property crime, but his criminal history tells the full story — armed robbery, arson, and aggravated assault,” District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said. “He’s not new to the system, and he’s not someone who made a one-time mistake. He’s a repeat offender who has been given opportunities to change in multiple jurisdictions. Instead, he chose to reoffend again and again.”
He was sentenced to life in jail with no possibility of parole, according to the release.
