GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man police say used cash and crack cocaine to entice others to steal high-end alcohol from Meijer stores across western Michigan was sentenced to prison Tuesday for conducting a criminal enterprise.
Cordale Ryan Eatmon has been linked to at least 67 separate thefts of alcohol, with the majority occurring in Kent County, court records show.
Targeted brands include Grey Goose vodka, Hennessy cognac and Tequila Reserva Silver.
Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan sentenced Eatmon to between five and 20 years in prison. The judge also ordered Eatmon to pay more than $34,000 in restitution for the stolen booze.
Although Meijer was the preferred target, Forest Hills Foods in Grand Rapids Township was hit five times.
Five people worked with Eatmon as accomplices in Kent County; police say they were paid with cash and crack cocaine. They have already been sentenced.
Eatmon drove the participants to various Meijer stores, police said. They included locations in Cedar Springs, Grandville, Rockford, Lowell and Plainfield Township. Other times, he let them use his 2002 Chevrolet Blazer, court records show.
Investigators caught up with Eatmon in late July.
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