Fair thief sentenced to TD CJ

ANDERSON- On Oct. 22, 2018, John Cruz entered a guilty plea of Theft of $ 3 0 , 0 0 0 - $ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 from a Charitable Organization, a second-degree felony, before Judge Donald Kreamer in the 12th Judicial District Court.

Cruz served as Grimes County Fair Association president and was the current vice president when it was discovered that he stole nearly $40,000 from the organization. The initial charges against Cruz carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

The Grimes County district attorney’s office worked with members of the Grimes County Fair Association board to develop a plea offer in the case. The Offer was approved by the board and a formal plea was extended to Cruz June 21, 2018.

Cruz paid $38,274 in restitution to the fair board on the date he plead guilty to the offense. He was sentenced to Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutional Division probated for eight years and 90 days in the Grimes County Jail.

The remaining restitution was to be paid back at $512 a month. He was also required to write a formal letter of apology to be approved by the board and pay to have it printed in The Examiner newspaper.

The community supervision department filed a motion to revoke Cruz’s probation in March and an amended motion was filed July 16. The motion stated Cruz failed to report to his probation officer for two months, serve his jail time, failed to pay court fees, restitution, fines and fees. The motion stated Cruz has also failed to submit his apology letter.

Judge Kreamer heard the motion to revoke Cruz’s probation Monday, Sept. 30, and sentenced Cruz to five years in the TDCJ-Institutional Division. Kreamer also ordered Cruz to pay the remaining restitution balance of $8,682.03. If Cruz is granted parole at some point, he will be required to pay the restitution as part of his parole.