BOULDER, Colo. — A man who broke into a comic book store, stole thousands of dollars worth of items and tried to sell them to another business was sentenced Wednesday morning in Boulder County District Court.
James Wear pleaded guilty in August to one count of theft and one count of criminal mischief, both felonies. The other charges against him were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, according to court documents.
In January, he pleaded to two charges in a separate case, which included assault and attempted burglary. Those were related to his arrest last May.
He was sentenced in both cases on Wednesday and will serve a total of nine years in community corrections instead of traditional incarceration. Through the program, Wear is required to change his behavior while allowing some "restricted privileges" to access the community.
> The video above aired in July: Boulder burglar steals rare comic books
According to the arrest affidavit in the case, a burglar broke into Time Warp Comics and Games, at 3105 28th St., about 3 a.m. July 28, 2023, and cleaned out a display case containing 22 comics valued at $13,774. One was "Amazing Spider-Man 300," valued at $6,200, and others were signed by Marvel legend Stan Lee, according to store owner Wayne Winsett.
The burglar broke a glass door to get in, costing another $2,700 in cleanup, according to the affidavit.
About a week after the burglary, a man who identified himself as Wear contacted two comic book stores in Colorado Springs to sell several books. The man was accompanied at both stores by a woman who had a baby.
RELATED: 'Where's Batman when you need him?' | Surveillance video shows break-in of Boulder comic book store
One of the store owners told police that Wear told him a story about how his sister's husband had died and he was trying to sell the man's books. The store owner had seen media coverage of the theft and realized nine of 10 books that Wear sold him were stolen from Time Warp, the affidavit says.
A second store owner in Colorado Springs told police that the same man had sold him eight books. Both store owners identified Wear or his vehicle from photographs, according to the affidavit.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime