Austin Auto Zone manager to pay $57K in restitution in theft case
Jerimiah Coal Beaman (left) and Christopher David Simmons (right) / Mower County Jail Roster
(ABC 6 News) – Former Austin Auto Zone store manager Christopher David Simmons was sentenced to 3 years’ probation and a grand total of $57,000 in restitution Thursday, Aug. 24.
Simmons, 41, pleaded guilty to one charge of theft between $1,000 and $5,000 between Oct. 1, 2022 and Feb. 8, 2023.
He and 24-year-old employee Jeremiah Beamon were accused of stealing at least $30,000 in merchandise from the store and selling the items to area businesses and repair shops for cash.
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UPDATE – A second man pleads guilty to stealing merchandise from an Austin Auto Zone between October of 2022 and February of 2023.
Twenty-four-year-old Jerimiah Beaman pleaded guilty to felony theft Friday. His trial was scheduled for July 31. Beaman has been offered $25,000 bail.
Beaman and Auto Zone store manager, 40-year-old Christopher Simmons, were each charged with two counts of felony theft — one charge of theft valued between $5,000 and $35,000, and one charge of theft valued between $1,000 and $5,000 that took place between Oct. 1, 2022 and Feb. 8, 2023.
Simmons pleaded guilty to the second charge in Mower County Court June 22, in exchange for probation and a yet-to-be-determined restitution payment.
The pair is accused of stealing and reselling at least $30,000 worth of parts and equipment from the store on 18th Avenue NW.
Simmons’ sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 24.