City Times Staff

An Illinois man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing almost a $225K from a local clinic.

Henry Charles Louis “Chase” Behrendt, III, 28, of Grayslake, Ill., was sentenced before a packed courtroom on Wednesday.

Behrendt pleaded guilty in Dec. to five counts of theft from a business and two counts of fraudulent writings by a corporate officer after stealing over $224,000 dollars from Klasinski Clinic in Stevens Point while employed there. Behrendt was a manager at the clinic and wrote fraudulent checks to himself, also misusing the company credit card.

Through the process he purchased a pool table, furniture, home theatre, washer and dryer and other personal items using company money, then bragged about his purchases to friends on social media. The company became suspicious of Behrendt after finding emails in which he admitted to his fiance that he used company credit cards for personal gain.

Portage County District Attorney Louis Molepske argued the defendant created a “web of deceit” by hiding from his employer the extent of the theft through fraudulent entries in the corporate records of over $224,000 dollars.

Portage Co. Circuit Court Judge Thomas Eagon agreed with Molepske, saying the offenses were calculated and hurtful to the clinic.

The investigation took over a year and was lead by Det. Kent Lepak from the Stevens Point Police Department.

Following his prison sentence, Behrendt will serve two years of extended supervision and five years of probation.