A Covington County jury convicted Pete Jimenez, 42, of four counts of Theft of Property I and three counts of Theft of Property II after a short deliberation last week.

Circuit Judge Charles A. “Lex” Short presided over the case.

The charges against Jimenez stemmed from thefts of Covington County businesses from the 2013.

Investigators from Opp Police Department, Andalusia Police Department, and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office conducted a joint investigation and determined from security video that Jimenez was a suspect.

Jimenez was subsequently stopped for a traffic violation and found to be in possession of stolen property.

He was detained for questioning and admitted committing numerous thefts in Covington and surrounding counties. Jimenez told investigators that he “took orders” for various types of equipment, which he then stole from the businesses and delivered to his “customers.” Jimenez stole from J. M Jackson, Ireland Trailer, SunSouth John Deere and Andalusia Tire Company here in Covington County.

Court records indicate that Jiminez has nine prior felony convictions in Alabama, all for property crimes, and that he had been released from prison only nine months before he was arrested on these charges.

Jimenez will be sentenced on July 21, 2016. He faces sentences of up to life imprisonment for each of the seven convictions.