Eric Baszler, a 28-year-old Polson man, pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $24,000 from a Flathead Lake business as part of a plea agreement signed last Wednesday in Lake County District Court.

Baszler will receive a one-year suspended sentence for allegedly writing out company checks to himself to pay off gambling debts. He’ll have to pay $27,359.34 in restitution in a period of six years to the company he stole from and will serve jail time if he cannot repay the debt. He will not be allowed to gamble during this time period.

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. Sentencing is set for Wednesday, April 11 at 9 a.m in Lake County District Court.