SLO man stole more than $100 in tri-tip at knifepoint. Now he’s going to state prison
A San Luis Obispo man was sentenced to state prison on Thursday after stealing more than a hundred dollars in tri-tip steak from a local grocery store.
A jury convicted Dennis Chapman Wheeler, 30, of second-degree robbery with a deadly weapon in November, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
Wheeler was arrested on May 28, 2019, after he put $150 in tri-tip steak from the Smart and Final store on Johnson Avenue into a bag and tried to leave without paying for it, the release said.
He attempted to flee with the bag of meat through an emergency exit, and a store employee chased after him, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Outside the store, Wheeler pointed a knife at the employee, who then backed away, according to the release. Wheeler fled on a bicycle, but police located him less than two miles away from the grocery store about two and a half hours after the robbery.
Superior Court Judge Hernaldo Baltodano sentenced Wheeler to five years in state prison and ordered him to pay $1,500 in restitution, according to court records.
Wheeler was eligible for a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison due to prior convictions and his use of a deadly weapon, the District Attorney’s Office said.
This story was originally published December 13, 2019 at 11:06 AM.
