Power Pleads Guilty of Theft; Gets 30 Days in Jail

California owner-breeder Michael Power pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge Monday and was sentenced by Superior Court in Auburn, Calif., to 30 days in jail, three years probation, and a $100 fine.

Power, who owns the popular California stallion Siberian Summer, initially faced a felony grand theft charge but it was reduced to a misdemeanor as part of the plea agreement, said a Placer County official. He will have a restitution hearing March 10 to determine how much he must pay back to the complainant in the case, Dr. Nelson Vetranze of Aurora, Co.

The county prosecutor contended Power took $6,250 from Vetranze as payment on a horse he didn't own and then refused to return the money. Power said the money was applied to $25,000 Vertranze owed him for the purchase of two other horses.