Pocatello man gets rider for tip jar theft
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POCATELLO — A man who stole around $28 from the tip jars of two local businesses has been sent on a rider.
Timothy William Halpin, 29, pleaded guilty to one felony burglary charge. As part of a plea agreement, a second felony charge was dismissed by the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office.
RELATED | Two men charged with felonies for allegedly stealing some $28 from tip jars
District Judge Javier Gabiola sent Halpin on a rider with an underlying prison sentence of two to four years, court records show.
A rider program is where a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year to undergo different treatment programs. When the inmate has completed those programs, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison or release them on probation.
Halpin and 28-year-old Jonathon James Keele, of Grace, were arrested after reports of a theft at a local soda shop in July. Employees at the soda shop told police the men stole around $25 from a tip jar.
Officers later learned that after leaving the soda shop, the men went to a nearby restaurant and stole another $3 or so from a tip jar there.
Keele pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of aiding and abetting a petty theft and was sentenced to time served and $470 in fees and fines.
In addition to the rider, Halpin was ordered to pay $1,195.50 in fees and fines.
