A state judge has granted probation to a 28-year-old man so he can continue drug rehabilitation and repay the nearly $32,000 he stole to maintain his addiction.

Circuit Judge Karen Ahn sentenced John Troedson to four years’ probation, required him to stay in substance abuse treatment programs and ordered him to repay First Hawaiian Bank $31,819 at a hearing Wednesday that also included comments from Troedson’s familymembers, fellow church members and supporters from alcohol and narcotics anonymous rehabilitation programs.

Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter asked Ahn to sentence Troedson, who pleaded guilty to 13 counts each of second-degree theft and second-degree forgery, to at least 90 days in jail since he cashed 13 forged checks from three businesses, including a $13,000 University of Hawaii Research Corp. check more than other defendants in the case.

Troedson was one of four men who allegedly forged checks totaling more than $70,000 at several banks between November 2012 and April 2013. The other men are Kenneth Sakagami, who pleaded guilty to 11 counts each ofsecond-degree theft and second-degree forgeryand was sentenced to 83 days’ imprisonment and five years’ probation; Christopher Sasaki, who pleaded guilty to three counts each of theft and forgery and was sentenced to six months in jail and four years’ probation; and Brian Amii, who pleaded not guilty to one count each of theft and forgery and is scheduled to appear in court May 6 for a mental fitness hearing.

Brian Shaughnessy, a U.S. postal inspector who worked on the case with Honolulu police detectives, said several of the checks appeared to have been stolen from the mail. Others were believed to have been stolen in vehicle break-ins, he said after the hearing.

Defense attorney Howard Luke said Troedson was "destroyed by addiction" and was homeless, living out of his car, when he was taken advantage of by people who would have him cash stolen checks.

Troedson told Ahn, "I can’t change the past, but from now on, nothing like this will happen again."