Ky. man gets probation in Ohio Toys-for-Tots break-in

CINCINNATI (AP) — A Kentucky man has been sentenced to five years of probation for breaking into a Cincinnati-area Toys for Tots warehouse on Christmas Eve 2011 and stealing toys collected in the annual Marine Corps drive for needy children.

Jesse Simpson of Covington, Ky., was sentenced Monday. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports a defense attorney told the judge the 27-year-old Simpson is ashamed and embarrassed about the theft.

Simpson pleaded guilty last month to three counts of breaking and entering.

Police recovered most of the items stolen by Simpson and an accomplice. About $30,000 worth of toys were found packed tightly into a storage unit in St. Bernard, which borders Cincinnati.

Police said the men sold and traded the toys, and gave some to their own children.