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NILES — An Indiana man who stole a vehicle and hit a pedestrian in Niles Charter Township was sentenced to prison Monday in Berrien County Trial Court.

Steven Michael Fisher, 44, of New Carlisle, pleaded guilty to unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle and assault with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to concurrent terms of 14 months to five years in prison and 14 months to four months in prison. He has credit for 218 days served and must pay $326 in fines and costs.

The incident occurred July 9, 2023 in Niles Township.

Defense attorney Daniel French noted that Fisher has suffered from mental health problems and has been homeless and unemployed. French noted that Fisher has gotten better since being on medications in jail. “He has expressed shame and remorse for what he did,” he said.

Fisher apologized to the court, to the person whose car he stole and the person he hit when he was driving. “This will never happen again,” he said.

Berrien County Trial Judge Jennifer Smith said Fisher was lucky that no one got hurt when he rammed another car with his stolen car. She said she was also concerned about Fisher’s past criminal record which has included time in prison, jail and on probation.

“You’ve got to find a way to take care of your mental health,” she said.