Hillsboro man sentenced to prison for motor vehicle theft, receiving stolen property

A Hillsboro man indicted last month has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to two felony charges in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

Derek Lane, 36, was indicted on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony; receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony; and forgery, a fifth-degree felony.

Lane pleaded guilty to the grand theft and receiving stolen property charges on Jan. 16, with the forgery count dismissed.

The indictment alleged that on or about Oct. 9, 2023, Lane “did … knowingly obtain or exert control over” a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent. On the same date, he was accused of “receiving, retaining or disposing of” a separate vehicle, a pickup truck, while “knowing or having reasonable cause to believe said property had been obtained through the commission of a theft offense.”

According to court records, Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Lane to a definite determinate term of 12 months in prison on each count, to run consecutively, for a total of two years in prison. Lane had 98 days of jail time credit. 

In addition, Lane was ordered to pay $500 in restitution to one victim and $1,695.96 to a second victim, court records show.