The recent arrest of a Gainesville Regional Utilities employee has led to further investigation by the Gainesville Police Department.
Jason Breeden was arrested March 25 on charges of stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment and tools from the Deerhaven plant.
Plant Manager Ali McDaniel contacted police when he discovered that an expensive welder had gone missing, along with its three-wheel crate, while taking inventory at the beginning of the year, according to GPD Sgt. Greg Armagost.
According to Armagost, McDaniel said the theft must have occurred sometime between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 of last year.
Detective Mike Denmark said he heard an employee, later identified as Breeden, was involved in the theft and visited the man at his home.
He found Breeden in possession of the cart but not the welder itself, Armagost said.
Denmark returned the next day with warrants to search the home and arrest Breeden.
The search turned up more stolen tools, totaling about $5,000 to $6,000, Denmark said.
Breeden was not home at the time of the search because, after having heard of the warrant that the police had issued for his arrest, he had gone to the police department in order to turn himself in, according to Armagost.
Breeden spent the night in the Alachua County Jail but posted his $5,000 bond the following day.
He has since been released, he said.
Breeden has been charged with grand theft and scheming to defraud, and police believe this was not a one-time occurrence.
Local police are currently conducting an investigation as to whether or not others were involved in the various thefts, what else may have been stolen and the whereabouts of the missing welder, according to Armagost.
Police believe the thefts may go back even further than October.
There is evidence that Breeden and possibly others had been stealing and accumulating tools and equipment from the Deerhaven plant for years, according to Armagost.
Anyone who may have information about the theft or the whereabouts of the welder is asked to call Armagost at 352-334-2487.
