Auto Thief Who Boasts 1,000 Heists Gets Probation

A California auto thief who boasts 1,000 heists in less than a year has been placed on probation rather than serve jail time for the crime spree.

The Fresno judge blames the California prison’s realignment program for his decision to the decision Wednesday to place 32-year-old Robert Frederick Wollert on five years’ probation.

The Fresno Bee says Wollert bragged when he was arrested on Oct. 20 that he had stolen 1,000 vehicles since December 2010. The prosecutor and defense attorney Glenn LoStracco say that’s probably an exaggeration.

Wollert’ s several misdemeanor and felony convictions in six criminal cases no longer qualify him for nine years in prison under Gov. Jerry Brown’s realignment plan. Instead, any time in custody would have been served in Fresno County Jail.