A Chattanooga business owner who was charged in 2018 for not filling orders on cemetery markers for which people had already paid was sentenced Friday to two years on probation.
Trent Daniel Wichman, who was the owner of Wichman Monuments on Brainerd Road, also was sentenced to perform 40 hours of community service, submit to mental health and drug and alcohol assessments and follow any related recommendations, according to the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office.
Last June, Wichman pleaded guilty to six counts of theft of property, which are Class E felonies. At the sentencing hearing, the state recommended two years for each felony, with the sentences to be served concurrently and on unsupervised probation.
Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman approved the state's recommended sentence.
The judge's sentence also includes judicial diversion, which means that if Wichman successfully completes probation and pays the fees required under the statute, he can have the cases dismissed and expunged from his record, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The District Attorney's office said Wichman paid restitution to all listed victims before he pleaded guilty.
At the sentencing hearing, Wichman told the court that he had "deep regret."
"To realize I caused so much suffering is devastating. I really am sorry," he said.
Wichman Monuments, a 72-year-old business that closed in 2018, allegedly had stopped filling hundreds of orders on headstones and markers for which people had paid.
Wichman, who was 33 years old when he was indicted, headed the company started by his grandfather, Fred Wichman.
After the business closed, Randy Wilson of Randy Wilson Painting bought the Wichman Monuments' three-quarter-acre tract from Wichman's grandparents.
Wilson said he had agreed to accept responsibility for the customer accounts, which numbered about 260. He said then that the cost of the property and paying the claims would probably be more than $400,000.
- Compiled by Mike Pare who may be reached at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.