Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing From Palm Springs Pool Supply Business

One of three men accused of stealing from a Palm Springs pool supply business pleaded guilty today to a felony burglary charge.   

Riverside resident Robert Firman, 44, entered his guilty plea at a felony settlement conference Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Misdemeanor charges of possession of burglary tools and possession of controlled substances were dismissed.

Judge Arthur Hestor sentenced Firman to six months in county jail, according to Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.   

Firman, along with co-defendants Christopher Gwin, 49, of Riverside, and 51-year-old Kevin Bean of Norco, was arrested June 23 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, according to 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 at the pool business on June 23, two days after a similar heist, police said.   

The suspects in the first crime allegedly used a U-Haul truck as a getaway vehicle. While responding to the second call, an officer noticed a U-Haul truck heading north on Gene Autry Trail, leading police to stop the vehicle and detain Gwin, Firman and Bean, authorities said.

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

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.

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