BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A 30-year-old Starke man was sentenced to 120 days in jail and two years’ probation after pleading to three thefts at Starke stores. The judge also gave him a stern warning.
Monte Seabrook, Jr. was already serving time in Alachua County for a felony theft charge when he appeared before Circuit Judge James Colaw for a December 10 hearing. According to court papers, the defendant stole 13 items from a Gainesville Walmart valued at $163 on August 3 and was sentenced to 90 days in jail for the felony theft conviction.
Bradford deputies and Starke police caught Seabrook after he stole two cases of Natty Daddy Beer from a Starke Circle K on July 19 and two cases of Bud Light beer from Winn Dixie two days later.
Bradford deputies also accused the 30-year-old of stealing a lost wallet at Walmart on July 19. An employee had found the wallet and put it behind the customer service desk.
Store video showed the defendant entering the customer service area, walking behind the counter, and immediately leaving the area soon after an employee placed the billfold behind the desk.
The defendant reached a plea agreement with prosecutors for jail time and probation, which the judge told Seabrook was an unusual sentence in his favor.
“I’ll go along with this plea,” Colaw told the defendant, “but you and I won’t have that type of conversation in the future. Most likely, you should view this as a last, last chance.”
The judge added that for Seabrook to pick up four felonies across two counties in such a short time, the defendant should view the jail time and probation as his last chance to remain in the community.
“So, if you’re back before me on a violation, I’ll certainly judge it based on whatever circumstances are made known to me,” the judge said. “But if it’s proven that you willfully and substantially violated this probation, you should not expect necessarily to get another chance at supervision. You understand?”
