Austin man sentenced to supervised probation, community work service, restitution on felony theft charge in Mower County District Court

One of two suspects convicted of stealing thousands of dollars in parts from an Austin auto parts store has been sentenced to supervised probation, community work service and restitution in Mower County District Court.

41-year old Christopher David Simmons of Austin was convicted and sentenced Thursday to three years of supervised probation, 40 hours of community work service, plus $57,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to a felony theft charge.  Simmons received a stay of imposition in the case where the defendant pleads guilty to a felony-level offense.  If he or she successfully completes their probation, the conviction will be deemed a misdemeanor. Simmons first pleaded guilty to the charge on June 22nd, and a felony charge for aiding and abetting felony theft in the case against Simmons was dismissed with his guilty plea.  

The Austin Police Department reported that Simmons, the store sales manager at Auto Zone Auto Parts, and another store employee, 24-year old Jerimiah Coal Beaman of Austin had stolen parts from the store and had sold them for profit from October 1st, 2022 to February of 2023.   

Beaman has also pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge, and his sentencing in Mower County District Court has been scheduled for October 25th.