Former vendor sentenced for Bass Pro theft

A Pleasant Hope man who ran a shop out of Bass Pro Shops' Outdoor World on South Campbell Avenue has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing money from the outdoor retailer.

The Sept. 10 sentence for Eugene Black, 54, begins with 120 days of shock incarceration, during which the Department of Corrections will determine if probation should be granted, according to the judgment.

Black operated The Little Glass Shack, a store that sold custom glassware and was leased from Bass Pro for 20 percent of sales. In a February 2010 probable cause statement, the Springfield Police Department found reason to believe that between July 2005 and February 2010, Black inflated his sales figures, thereby causing Bass Pro to overpay him more than $450,000 during the time frame of the scheme.

That same month, Black was charged by the Greene County prosecuting attorney with the felony of stealing by deceit of at least $25,000, according to court documents.

Black was found guilty in March.