SWAINTON – Middle Township police June 1 announced the arrest of county employe Allen B. Smith, of Villas, charged with theft of money “over an approximate one-year period” from donation boxes at the county park and zoo here.
Smith, 32, has been with the county Facilities and Services Department for five years and makes $21,562.
He reportedly had a set of keys to the donation boxes and how he got them reportedly is a focus of the investigation.
Smith, suspended without pay, worked the overnight security shift. Park employes reportedly alerted authorities to a potential problem in mid-May and a sting operation was set up.
The police report said the amount of money allegedly taken was “undetermined.”
County Treasurer Ed Grant told this newspaper it “could be sizable.”
The park and zoo receive a half-million dollars a year in donations from a half-dozen locations, he said. The proceeds include money from a vending machine.
County officials were reluctant to discuss their normal security measures.
Smith was charged with burglary and theft on a summons, according to Middle Township police, and released pending likely arraignment by a grand jury.
Contact Zelnik at (609) 886-8600 Ext. 27 or: jzelnik@cmcherald.com
