An Alachua County Sheriff’s Office employee was arrested Monday and charged with stealing money from the sheriff’s office.
Charles Allen Smith, 26, of 2701 SW 13th St., is accused of stealing more than $16,000 from the ASO evidence room.
Smith was employed as an evidence custodian at ASO and was one of three employees with access to the missing evidence.
The cash was deposited by the Waldo Police Department, and discovered to be missing in August.
While the other two evidence custodians cooperated with police and passed a polygraph test, the suspect refused to be interviewed during the investigation, according to a police report.
After subpoenaing his financial records, police found that the suspect and his roommate, Robert Sundin, purchased a 2008 Jeep Liberty and a 2009 Travel Trailer in May with $6,000 in cash down payments.
Sundin told police that Smith had said the money came from a worker’s compensation settlement, according to the report.
Smith had been receiving bi-weekly workers compensation benefits for an injury he sustained in September of 2007.
Smith was charged with a third-degree grand-theft felony and a third-degree money laundering felony.
