SAN BENITO — A former city employee faces theft charges after police accused him of stealing a city-owned generator and chainsaws, officials said.
A judge ordered Jose Martin Barajas Vazquez held on $10,000 bail after charging him with theft, police officials state in a press release.
On Tuesday, officers arrested Barajas Vazquez, accusing him of stealing a generator and two chainsaws from the city’s public works department, the press release states.
“This arrest stemmed from an investigation after the police department received information about possible missing equipment from the San Benito Public Works Service Center,” the release states. “Detectives interviewed several employees who said that a generator and two chainsaws were missing. During the investigation, detectives learned that only Barajas Vazquez and another employee had access to the area where the equipment was stored.”
Investigators tracked some of the equipment to a Brownsville pawnshop, the press release states.
“Detectives were able to locate the missing generator and one chainsaw at a pawnshop in Brownsville,” the release states. “Detectives discovered that both items were pawned by Barajas Vazquez prior to him resigning from the city.”
