A former Hoover City Schools employee is behind bars, accused of stealing nearly $40,000 in copper from the system.
Stephen Todd Huddleston, 45, was arrested Thursday in Pelham, said Hoover police Lt. Keith Czeskleba. He is charged with first-degree theft of property.
The investigation began in November 2016 when police were notified by school administrators about an employee that was being investigated for making fraudulent purchases of copper pipe. Czeskleba said detectives learned Huddleston used the school system's accounts to buy more than $37,000.00 worth of copper pipe that was never used for any projects at a school.
The purchases, authorities said, were made between November 2014 and March 2016. After a lengthy probe, detectives presented their evidence to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office, which issued the warrant against Huddleston.
Huddleston, who lives in Calera, was arrested Thursday at a business in the 200 block of Cahaba Valley Parkway in Pelham and was transported to the Hoover City Jail. He will be transferred to the Shelby County Jail later Thursday. His bond is set at $30,000.
"We're extremely pleased to be able to hold this individual accountable for his actions. This was an employee who was trusted with buying supplies and he certainly took advantage of his position,'' said Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector. "He made 232 fraudulent purchases over a 16-month period. That's just a staggering number of thefts."
"Mr. Huddleston's actions should have been discovered sooner, but kudos to a new supervisor who quickly recognized the suspicious pattern of purchases,'' Rector said. "This investigation continues and additional charges are still a possibility."