SALEM – A 39-year-old Lynn construction worker with a history of stealing cars to support his drug addiction is headed to state prison for up to six years.Milton Walker, who last lived at 9 Rockmere Gardens in Lynn, made his plea Friday afternoon to charges of receiving a stolen motor vehicle and resisting arrest.He was sentenced to serve not less than three and a half years and not more than six years in state prison by Judge Timothy Q. Feeley.When Walker gets out of prison he will be on probation for another three years at which time he will be evaluated for substance abuse and treatment as deemed necessary and subject to random screenings.In handing down the penalty, Feeley explained that it was because of the number of “similar offenses” which had been dealt with at a lesser punishment in the past.Assistant District Attorney Michael Patten said he was prepared to show at trial that at about 10:25 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2009, State Trooper John Skabeikis was on patrol when he observed a 1990 Grey Jeep Cherokee exiting a gas station and ran a check on the license plate. The vehicle was reported stolen a few days earlier on Aug. 13 out of Boston.Skabeikis activated his lights, but the vehicle sped up and a pursuit began on the Lynnway toward Lynn Tech High School.The trooper pursed the stolen car until it came to a stop on Commercial Street, where the suspect jumped out and a foot chase ensued.Walker was finally taken into custody after being sprayed with mace following a struggle.Walker told police he found the car on Warren Street in Lynn and knew it was stolen because the window on the car was broken. He used a screwdriver in the console to pop the ignition, Patten reported.Patten proposed a much higher punishment of at least six years in prison, noting the nature and circumstances of the case.In addition, he pointed out that Walker had a criminal history that included six prior offenses for being in receipt of a stolen motor vehicle and that he had a seven-page criminal record.Defense lawyer Sierra Rosen told Feeley her client has had a “life-long struggle with drugs” and that at the time he had a relapse.She strongly emphasized that her client has family support, supports two children and that his employer had written a letter which was presented to the court saying Walker was his “best worker” and would hire him back.Rosen reminded Feeley that Walker had never been sentenced to state prison before, had no violence on his record, while she pleaded for leniency, suggesting a two-year punishment with probation.An Essex County grand jury indicted Walker in October of 2009. He has been held in lieu of bail at the Middleton Jail since his arrest.The judge credited Walker the 333 days he has spent in jail awaiting trial on the case.