Employee steals over $14,000 worth of fireworks days before July 4th, Florida cops say
A firework heist in Florida fizzled after officers recovered more than $14,000 worth of merchandise packed inside a car.
Now, an employee of Four Seasons Fireworks in DeLand is facing a grand theft charge, according to a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman is accused of stealing a total of $14,239.42 worth of fireworks from the store where she worked, according to officials. The manager of the store reported the thefts on June 27, a week before July 4.
“It was discovered that (the employee) had on multiple occasions loaded her vehicle full of fireworks from the store,” the news release said.
The store owner told deputies that at first, a different employee had notified management, saying the woman requested help loading a large amount of fireworks into her vehicle days prior, WFTV reported.
The owner caught the employee loading the items into her car and when they interrupted her, she returned the fireworks, WFTV reported. Over the next several days, the owner decided to press charges when the employee returned two more loads of previously-stolen fireworks.
The employee admitted to stealing the fireworks when she was confronted by authorities, according to the sheriff’s office, and helped deputies unload one portion of the stolen fireworks from her vehicle.
She told deputies she planned to sell the fireworks to pay off personal debts, according to the release.
The employee was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail and later release on $5,000 bond, the release said.
DeLand is about 42 miles north of Orlando.
This story was originally published June 30, 2022 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Employee steals over $14,000 worth of fireworks days before July 4th, Florida cops say."
