The Inyo District Attorneys Office reports an unusual sentence in an auto theft case.

In April, Bishop resident Ryan Lent was arrested for allegedly stealing a car at the Paiute Palace Casino parking lot. Highway Patrol Officers later spotted the stolen vehicle at the Pizza Factory and made the arrest.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Johnson reports that Lent has now pleaded no contest to auto theft and having a prior auto theft conviction. Johnson reports that Lent has been to prison twice before, which would add to the length of the prison term, but for now the sentence has been postponed.

Johnson explained that Lent will go back to state prison on a parole violation from the old charges, and will be sentenced for the new charges when he is released from prison.

This allows Lent to enter the Inyo County Drug Court rehabilitation program when he gets out of prison. Under that program, Lent will have to clean up and abide by the rules of the Drug Court, or be sentenced to prison for the recent auto theft charges.

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