Charges filed against trio in Palm Springs pool supplies business burglary

Felony charges were filed today against three men accused of burglarizing a pool supply business in South Palm Springs.   

Christopher Gwin, 49, of Riverside, 44-year-old Robert Firman of Riverside and 51-year-old Kevin Bean of Norco were arrested Sunday afternoon and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

All three men were charged with a felony count of burglary and a misdemeanor count of possessing burglary tools Wednesday at Indio's Larson Justice Center, according to Riverside County court records. Firman and Bean face an additional misdemeanor charge for possession of a controlled substance.

The Palm Springs Police Department responded to an alarm Sunday morning, two days after a similar alarm coincided with a report of stolen pool supplies, according to a department statement released Tuesday.   

The suspects in the first report allegedly used a U-Haul truck as a getaway vehicle. After an officer noticed a U-Haul truck heading north on Gene Autry Trail Sunday, police stopped the vehicle and detained Gwin, Firman and Bean.

Police found pool heaters, pumps and other supplies in a search, according to the statement.

Firman has no listed previous felony convictions in Riverside County, according to case records. Bean has no previous felony convictions in the county, but pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of violating a court order and possession of a controlled substance in separate 2019 and 2022 cases, respectively.

Gwin has multiple prior felony convictions, according to court records.