Cantonment Man Charged With String Of Thefts From Vending Machines

December 30, 2014

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has solved a rash of vending machine burglaries across the county with the arrest of a Cantonment man.

Christopher Brian Gentry, 44, was charged with multiple counts of larceny and criminal mischief property damage for the alleged crimes. Gentry remained in the Escambia County Jail early Tuesday morning with bond set at $39,000.

According to arrest reports, Gentry’s haul was small at some machines, such as $46 from a Coca-Cola machine located outside U-Haul on North Davis Highway and about $50 from a Coca-Cola vending machine outside Thompson Caterpillar on West Nine Mile Road.

Gentry was  reportedly caught on camera as he attempted to pry open a Coca-Cola vending machine outside A-1 Small Engines in the 700 block of South Highway 29. He removed items from machine, despite the fact that he was seemingly aware of the video camera, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.

Gentry was also charged with a residential burglary at the home of an acquaintance.

Comments

9 Responses to “Cantonment Man Charged With String Of Thefts From Vending Machines”

  1. phil on December 31st, 2014 5:41 am

    looks like the same guy we caught on camera ,and turned into the sheriff Dept. on 9 mile rd Expert Tune/ Goodyear He destroyed 2 machines

  2. DEBBY MALMBERG on December 30th, 2014 10:03 pm

    My machines at the Florida Welcome Center( not far from some of the locations he vandalized.) were being stolen from, too, but not by braking into them, but by what some call, “fishing”. He may have been doing that as well…who knows. we discovered a way to protect our machines from this type of theft, but some enterprising thief will spend their time coming up with a new way to steal from others, instead of spending that time earning an honest living.

  3. BT on December 30th, 2014 9:12 am

    I wonder if he’ll use quarters for bail money.

  4. JT on December 30th, 2014 8:24 am

    bet he’s the same genius that cracked the one in front of the Winn Dixie on 29.

  5. hilary on December 30th, 2014 6:58 am

    Carolyn…. not all states have the three strikes rule..

  6. XD9RACER on December 30th, 2014 6:03 am

    IT IS EVIDENT THIS GUY HAS NO INTENTIONS OF DOING THE RIGHT THING AS MOST DO. It’s obvious his entire life is a lie as he feels he has to steal from the ones doing right making an honest living just to feed his lifestyle whether it is drugs or alcohol or both and from his past arrest, conviction and prison history prison will be the best place for his permanent place of residence for the remainder of his life. The honest upright people are fed up with being victimized by lowlife and their stuff being taken and steadily violated at the hands of them need to take a stand to get these off the streets and in prison where they deserve to be. It is bad enough the taxpayers have to pay for these lowlifes to sustain life in prison but it has to be far better than for them to remain on the loose to continue their lawlessness creating havoc. GETERDONE—JUSTUSFORALL

  7. Carolyn Bramblett on December 30th, 2014 4:51 am

    What happened to “three strikes, you’re out”?

  8. Jason on December 30th, 2014 2:35 am

    With a Felony arrest history dating back to 1992, including 4 years of state prison time for this same offense back in 2005 its time to send this guy back to state prison for a very long time. Its very clear he has no desire to live within the norms expected by society.

  9. traumaqueen on December 30th, 2014 1:21 am

    Another fine example of CLUELESS!!