The former manager of a Wichita Falls tire store, accused of transporting and dealing in store tires and pocketing the money, pleaded guilty to theft on Friday in 30th District Court, according to court documents.
Skyler Hilbers, 40, entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of theft ranging from $30,000 to $150,000 in connection with Oct. 1, 2018, charges, court documents show.
30th District Judge Jeff McKnight sentenced the Archer City man to 10 years probation and deferred the sentence. If Hilbers successfully completes his extended probation, he will avoid a conviction on his criminal record.
The crime is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Hilbers was originally indicted in July 2020 on charges of theft of $300,000 or more. The crime is punished up to life imprisonment.
The charges against Hilbers arose after another employee realized that 50 tires classified as inventory were nowhere to be found at T&W Tire on the 5000 block of Jacksboro Highway, according to allegations in court documents.
An accounting executive combed the company’s records, leading an investigation that indicated Hilbers made personal deals with company property without records of deposits, according to allegations in court documents.
Hilbers, who had no criminal record, admitted to a police investigator that he had stolen from the tire store by canceling work orders and accepting cash payments, according to court documents.
But he said he took $5,000 to $10,000 while the tire store reported $386,830 stolen from 2018 to 2019, according to allegations in court documents.
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Trish Choate, a corporate surveillance reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, the courts, breaking news and more. Contact her with news recommendations at [email protected]. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
