Crates of donations loaded onto Mexico-bound truck
Updated: Tuesday, 02 Aug 2011, 12:57 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 02 Aug 2011, 12:57 PM CDT
Terra Sullivan
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Police have arrested two Goodwill employees and another man after an investigation found that truckloads of merchandise were being taken to a warehouse, loaded up and driven to Mexico.
Austin police were called after a theft was reported Sunday at the Goodwill warehouse at 915 Springdale Road.
The caller told officers that three men were unloading stolen merchandise from a trailer on to a truck. When officers arrived, they met with a private investigator working for Goodwill on a case of employee theft.
The investigator told officers that Goodwill employees Pedro Chairez and Robert Jimenez had been seen loading up trucks with clothing and shoes and taking the trucks to a warehouse that was formally operated by Goodwill.
Those trucks would then be driven to Mexico, according to an arrest affidavit.
During the investigation, officers found 24 crates of shoes on a trailer and 14 other crates of items loaded onto a truck operated by Julio Llanos. Police estimate the stolen merchandise to be valued at $12,000.
All three men all face felony theft charges. Their bonds were set at $10,000 each.
