NILES — A former Niles resident who said her guilt from embezzling thousands of dollars caused her to come forth was sentenced to five years of probation Tuesday at the Berrien County Courthouse, 1205 Front St. in Niles.

Chief Trial Court Judge Gary Bruce gave the sentence to Michelle Kay Dunlap, 45, now of Holly, Michigan. She must also pay $21,665 in restitution for the money she kept from her employer, Franklin Woods Trailer Park, and $1,282 in fines.

Over the course of months, Dunlap directed funds and rent from about five residents that had recently moved into Franklin Woods Trailer Park at 1950 S. 13th St. in Niles Charter Township to herself instead of her company.

On Jan. 10, Dunlap sent an email to her company admitting her crime. She then took a job managing two trailer parks in Holly, but her employment was terminated when she was arrested for embezzlement on June 24.

On Tuesday, she said her deep guilt prompted her initial response.

“I make no excuses at all,” she said to Bruce through tears. “I committed this crime.”

She said a financial need initially drove her to embezzle, and the trend continued. She said if probation, rather than potential jail or prison time, was permitted, she would likely be able to move up in management at her current hotel employer, which would help her pay back restitution to her former employer.

Bruce said he tended to sentence people with embezzlement charges for jail time because they tended to commit the same crime over and over, as Dunlap did. The judge, however, granted her probation, saying Dunlap, a first-time offender, had spent a few weeks in jail, which was enough.

Cameron Alan Merrill, 21, of Woodruff Street in Niles, was also sentenced to probation. He will serve two years and pay $898 in fines for assaulting another man with a brick.

The brick was thrown Sept. 2 after two verbal confrontations with a Niles man, whom Merrill claimed said intolerant and prejudicial things about him. The man was hit in the left shoulder and left side of the face, resulting in a small laceration.

According the police report, Merrill and the man initially confronted one another at a Niles park. Merrill left the scene, then later returned, got into another argument, found the brick and threw it toward the man.

He apologized to Bruce in court, expressing his guilt.

Bruce said if Merrill’s report was true, there was no excuse for the other man’s remarks, but Merrill’s mistake was coming back to the scene.

“You can’t respond by committing a crime,” Bruce said.

The first-time offender cannot cross paths with the man as part of his probation.

Pipestone Township resident Erica Lynn McMillen, 31, received probation Tuesday, too. She will serve one year, complete 40 service hours and pay $625 in fines for third-degree child abuse.

On June 22, McMillen called officers to her S. Old 31 home who said her three children were “out of control,” according to a police report.

Officers spoke to the oldest child, who said McMillen hit him in the face after he taunted her.

McMillen admitted to the crime to Bruce and also said that a family court appearance later this month would likely result in the one child formerly in her custody being returned to her. He was not assaulted in the June event.

Each of those sentenced Tuesday pleaded guilty to Judge Charles LaSata earlier this year. Bruce took over for LaSata Tuesday because his counterpart called in sick.