Convictions upheld
An Alpena man convicted in Presque Isle County will continue to serve his prison term of 14 to 30 years. The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld the 2003 convictions of Paul Anthony Walchak. Area police agencies had coordinated efforts in the apprehension of Walchak following a series of break-ins in 2002.
Originally charged with 22 felonies in the three counties of Alpena, Montmorency, and Presque Isle, Walchak was tried on the Presque Isle charges. “We had anticipated that the jury verdicts would be upheld,” said Presque Isle County prosecutor Don McLennan. “We can all be relieved that this fellow is going to remain locked up.”
Sentences for break-ins of hunting camps and cabins are not normally this severe, McLennan noted, but Walchak’s sentence reflected the great number of criminal incidents as well as the fact that he had previously been convicted of other felony offenses.