Jan. 27--A Melrose Park man accused of stealing more than 1,800 cases of beer made a last-minute guilty plea Wednesday and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Thomas Gibbons, 48, was scheduled to go on trial Wednesday morning for the theft. Attorneys had spent the previous day in DuPage County court selecting jurors to hear the trial.
But instead, in a negotiated plea, Gibbons admitted guilt to one count of theft between $10,000 and $100,000.
Authorities say he stole 22 pallets of Miller beer from the Chas. Herdrich and Son distributorship on Oct. 30, 2012, in McHenry. Gibbons, police said, used a rented truck to transport the beer to a warehouse in Bensenville.
Police executing a search warrant at the warehouse say they found several pallets inside.
Gibbons, who had been free on bond, was ordered to surrender before Judge John Kinsella on Tuesday to begin serving his sentence. He will be eligible for day-for-day credit, meaning he could be released on parole in about 18 months.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
