POLSON — Eric Baszler, a 28-year-old Polson man, was given a six-year deferred sentence in Lake County District Court last Wednesday after signing a plea agreement in March to pay back over $27,000 to the Flathead Lake Brewery in restitution. Baszler admitted to embezzling $23,994.24 from the company while working there as an employee.

Baszler initially faced a maximum of 10 years in the Montana State Prison and a fine of $50,000. With the plea agreement, it was agreed that the mandatory one-year prison sentence would be suspended if Baszler paid back the money taken via a strict schedule of monthly payments over six years.

According to the plea agreement, non-payment of the monthly restitution will result in the one-year jail term. Baszler, who said he embezzled the money to pay off his gambling debts, will not be allowed to gamble until all of the restitution has been paid.

According to Lake County Sheriff’s Office reports, Eric Baszler used company software to write checks from his employer, Flathead Brewing Company in Woods Bay, between January and October of last year, despite not being authorized to do so. He then altered the records to show that the checks were being written to vendors that the company did business with.

On Dec. 20, 2011, the manager of Flathead Lake Brewing Company contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Department to report that one of his employees had been embezzling money. According to the court affidavit, Baszler was fired on Oct. 24.

When authorities questioned him, Baszler admitted to writing the checks and cashing many of them at the Tall Pines Inn. He said that he had stolen checks for about a year. Baszler added he used the money to pay off his gambling debts and that he was in counseling three times a week for his addiction. Bank records show that Baszler took a total of $23,994.24.