By Kevin Jefferies
Commerce – A Commerce man has been sentenced for stealing dozens of parts over the course of a year from a Commerce business. 20 year old James Mahlon Patillo II pled guilty to theft of automotive parts from Hill Grain Company on 50 separate occasions. According to the indictment, Patillo stole brake pads, a bug screen, thermostats, gaskets, vehicle mirrors, spark plugs, a mud flap, an oil filter, a tire, a starter, and more over the course of a year from March 2002 to April 2003.
Patillo received two years of deferred adjudication probabtion and was ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution. Deferred adjudication carries no finding of guilt, but those who violate the probation are subject to the maximum sentence.