Beer Thief Pleads Guilty to Stealing 1,868 Cases of Miller

A Melrose Park man was sentenced to three years in prison for reportedly stealing 1,868 cases of Miller beer from a distributor in McHenry, Illinois.

Thomas Gibbons, 48 of the 200 block of Grand Avenue in Melrose Park, pleaded guilty Wednesday to theft and possession of stolen merchandise between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 2 felony, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors say Gibbon, who was out of work at the time, took 22 pallets of beer Oct. 29, 2012, from Chas. Herdrich and Son distributors in McHenry.

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office investigation led to a warehouse on Industrial Drive in Bensenville, where Gibbons was found with a pallet of beer and a hand-operated pallet mover in the cargo part of a rented truck, the state’s attorney’s office reports. The other stolen pallets of beer were found inside the warehouse.

Gibbons’ bail was set at $250,000 with 10 percent to apply in bond court Oct. 30, 2012. He bonded out Nov. 9, 2012, and has been out on bond since. Gibbons has an extensive criminal history, with convictions for assault, auto theft and burglary.

Gibbons will begin his sentence Feb. 2, and he must serve half his sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections before he’ll be eligible for parole. He must also pay $517 for court costs.

“This morning, Thomas Gibbons took responsibility for his role in the theft of more than 1,850 cases of beer from a McHenry, Illinois Distributor,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin in a statement. “This was not a crime of opportunity. Mr. Gibbons had a plan. His plan however, did not include getting caught thanks to the outstanding work of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.”