A Taylorville couple plead guilty on Thursday for theft and will pay back nearly $8,000 in restitution along with two years of probation. Sasha and Ramon Gutierrez plead guilty of stealing money from Taylorville Youth Cheerleading from October of 2014 until October of 2018. As part of the negotiated plea deal, the Gutierrezes will agree to the standard terms of probation, have their DNA put on file, abstain from drugs, agree to random testing, searching, restitution of $7,943.29, and prohibited from acting in a fiduciary position to any organization, plus court cost fees.
The State of Illinois charges were read by Assistant State Attorney Jaimee Ward and highlighted the Gutierrezes having access to a bank account through People’s Bank and Trust. When the Taylorville Youth Cheerleading organization went to withdraw from the account in October of 2018, the account was negative. After Taylorville Youth Cheerleading confronted the Gutierrezes, the couple admitted that they had been taking money out of it due to falling on hard times.
The Gutierrezes attorney, Dennis Atteberry reiterated that even though it wasn’t an excuse, Ramon Gutierrez had to have amputation due to diabetes, and that his clients indeed had been having a rough time. Probation will monitor payments, and the Gutierrezes will have to reappear in court in January of 2020 to review and keep track of the status with the court.
