GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man has been sentenced to 42 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to 10 felony offenses , U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced Tuesday.
Charles Edward Skipp was sentenced to more than four decades in prison for stealing guns, arson and drug crimes, among other things.
In 2017, Skipp stole 89 guns from Family Farm & Home in Cedar Springs. According to the Department of Justice, he attempted to cover his tracks by retaliating against a witness of the theft; Skipp shot at the witness’ house and later set it on fire.
Skipp also used one of the stolen guns to rob and shoot a drug dealer, attorneys say. Most of the stolen firearms have not yet been accounted for. Law enforcement is still attempting to locate them.
Prior to his latest crimes, Skipp had convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, reckless discharge of a firearm causing injury, armed robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and domestic assault.
When imposing the 42-year sentence, Judge Janet Neff called Skipp a “one-man crime spree.”
“This sentence represents good news for the community, which is much safer with Mr. Skipp in prison,” Birge said. “And the 42-year sentence sends an unmistakable message to anyone else who might embark on a way of life in which one dangerous crime begets another and so on: Your spree will end with you in prison for decades, so don’t even start.”
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