Thorsby man pleads guilty to theft of property

Published 5:28 pm Friday, May 2, 2014

A Thorsby man pleaded guilty on Thursday to first-degree theft of property after stealing copper from a vacant building owned by the town of Thorsby in 2013.

Robert Daniel Perdue, 34, who lists an address of 11 Keem Street in Thorsby, pleaded guilty Thursday morning in front of Chilton County Circuit Judge John Bush, according to court records.

Several charges including criminal mischief, possession of burglary tools, third-degree theft of property and burglary were dismissed as part of Perdue’s plea agreement.

Perdue was prosecuted under the state’s Habitual Offender Act due to Perdue having prior convictions, according to court records.

Bush sentenced Perdue to 96 months in the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) concurrent with a previous sentence he had received for drug charges in Shelby County.

Thorsby Police Department Officer William Scarbrough encountered Perdue at the old sewing factory, which is owned by the town, around 10 p.m. while on patrol in July 2013.

Perdue had copper wiring in his possession and about 250 pounds of wiring on an all-terrain vehicle parked on the property.

Perdue was also recommended for admission into the Alabama Therapeutic Program, a treatment facility to help offenders change their criminal thinking and behaviors.

Perdue’s bond is $45,000.