An employee at a Warrenton automotive service center pleaded guilty to stealing more than $20,000 in cash sales from the business over nine months.
Brent Douglas Perry, 45, Seaside, was sentenced in Clatsop County Circuit Court Thursday to five years probation. If the probation is revoked, he will face four years in prison.
As part of his sentence, he is required to pay back $20,639.41 that he stole from Putman Pro-Lube between October 2013 and July 2014.
He paid back $10,000 at the time of sentencing. Because of his cooperation, payment of half of the restitution and lack of criminal history, the District Attorney’s Office agreed to the probation sentence.
In addition, Perry was ordered to serve 160 hours of community service and have no contact with the victims or business.
He was indicted in February 2015 on nine counts of first-degree theft. He pleaded guilty to five counts Thursday, before being sentenced.
While working for Putman Pro-Lube, Perry thought he found a loophole in the system that allowed him to pocket cash sales without a record. However, the business caught on and reported the theft to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives came to the business undercover and paid in cash. Video recordings showed Perry ringing up the cash sales, deleting the in-voices and keeping the money.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Astorian.
