Campground Thief in Michigan Sentenced to Jail Time

Michigan's honor-based campground system was targeted by a thief who’s now facing jail and restitution.

Pay Pipes and Pay Boxes

Many campgrounds have attendants to collect money from campers staying at their site. Many campgrounds in Michigan operate on an honor system, using pay pipes or pay boxes where campers can submit payment for their campsite.

You often see the pay boxes near campsites where people are selling firewood. I drive by three of these on my way home each day. Campers pull up, grab a bundle of wood, and put $5 in a locked box, which is an honor system, and several rural campgrounds work this same way.

When campers and people buying firewood do the right thing and pay in the pay pipe or box, for someone to come along and steal the money is not right and defeats the whole purpose of the system.

Read More: Michigan Man Gets Caught Stealing From the DNR

Man Who Stole From Michigan Campgrounds Gets Sentenced

According to MLive, 36-year-old Justyn Mark Spitzley who was convicted of stealing from Michigan campgrounds has been sentenced to a year in jail. Spitzley pleaded guilty in Luce Country District Court for stealing the money and driving with a suspended license.

The court ordered Spitzley to pay $6,000 in restitution plus the $2,000 for the cash he was caught with at the time of his arrest.

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Spitzley is spending 284 days of his sentence in the Alger County Jail since he gets credit for serving 81 days of the sentence prior to the judge making his final decision.

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