A Multnomah County facilities employee found himself on the wrong side of the law on Thursday after an alleged theft at a hardware store. Portland Police officers arrived at a store in the 1700 block of North Tomahawk Island Drive to find Leonel Sandoval, 55, detained by store loss prevention employees. Sandoval, a resident of Scappoose, Oregon, was reportedly in his uniform and had used a county vehicle to get to the store, as per the City of Portland.
Upon their preliminary investigation, the store employees and officers determined that Sandoval selected nearly $800 in flooring products, bypassed the checkout, and then attempted to return the items without purchasing them. Dressed in a county uniform, the store's loss prevention staff said the attempted theft occurred while Sandoval was. He was arrested and charged with Theft in the Second Degree and Official Misconduct in the Second Degree under case number 25-220373.
Following the incident, Sandoval was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center. The theft amount was $785.85, which raises serious questions about the integrity of individuals entrusted with public resources. In a publicized statement, Portland Police notified Multnomah County, which led to a county supervisor recovering the vehicle involved.
