One of three suspects in Palm Springs burglary released

Two of three men remained behind bars Wednesday after all three pleaded guilty last week to burglarizing a Palm Springs pool supply business.

Riverside residents Robert Firman, 44, and Christopher Gwin, 49, as well as Norco resident Kevin Bean, 51, each entered guilty pleas to a felony count of burglary at a felony settlement conference Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Misdemeanor charges of possession of burglary tools were dismissed for all three men, and charges of possession of controlled substances were dismissed for Firman and Bean.

Judge Arthur Hestor sentenced the trio to two years in county jail with all but six months suspended, according to John Hall and Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

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Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department told City News Service on Wednesday that Firman was released Friday, but Bean and Gwin remained in custody.

Hall said that "should any or all be released from county jail prior to serving six months, the remaining balance is to be served under mandatory supervision."

Firman, Gwin and Bean were arrested June 23 and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

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.

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