LIVERMORE — A local mechanic was charged with stealing around $128,000 worth of machinery from his employer, who fired him a month after the reported theft, court records show.
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The 48-year-old Livermore man was charged with grand theft of a skid steer, an excavator, and two trailers for both items, totaling around $128,000, court records show. When arrested on May 15, he denied the theft and said he took the skid steer to a Walmart parking lot so that another mechanic could update its systems, authorities said.
The theft was reported back in March by North Sky Communications LLC, where the suspect was working at the time. Authorities say he was identified from surveillance cameras and later through a review of his phone, where he discussed selling “machines” and reached out to a potential buyer.
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In a strange twist, the potential buyer reportedly smelled a rat and reached out to someone with the company, to make sure the machinery hadn’t been stolen. The items were moved to an address in unincorporated San Joaquin County for re-sale, authorities said.
The suspect was fired from his job in April, and turned in his work cellphone, which later seized and search by police, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty, been released from jail without bail, and is next due in court in July, records show.
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