A Richmond, Kentucky maintenance man is accused of using the access granted by his job to rob the very tenants he was supposed to serve. Police say 52-year-old Howard Kash was caught on camera entering an apartment and taking cash, and he now faces four counts of second-degree burglary after authorities accuse him of stealing roughly $2,477.
According to the WKYT report on the arrest, Kash was taken into custody on Monday. The Richmond Police Department identified him as a maintenance man who had legitimate access to the units he is accused of burglarizing. A separate account from fox56news.com states plainly that a Richmond maintenance man is accused of stealing money from apartments where he worked.
Police said Kash was accused of using his master key to steal thousands of dollars from apartment units, according to the Richmond Police Department. Investigators say surveillance footage captured him allegedly entering an apartment and taking cash, evidence that ultimately became central to the case against him.
Confession Came After Police Showed Video Evidence
Kash reportedly denied any involvement when first confronted by police, but he changed his account once investigators showed him the video proof, according to police. He then admitted to stealing the money, and fox56news.com reports that he reportedly later admitted to several burglaries beyond the incident caught on camera.
Officials say Kash told them he targeted Hispanic people because he believed they would have cash on hand and would be too afraid of deportation to contact police. That alleged motive matches what fox56news.com reported, noting that Kash allegedly targeted Hispanic residents because he believed they would be afraid to report the thefts due to fears of deportation.
What Kentucky Law Says About the Charges
Kash faces four counts of second-degree burglary, according to authorities. Under Kentucky law, as outlined by the Kentucky General Assembly, a person is guilty of second-degree burglary when, with intent to commit a crime, they knowingly enter or remain unlawfully in a dwelling. The statute classifies the offense as a Class C felony.
Similar Cases Have Surfaced Elsewhere
Richmond is not the only place where a maintenance worker has recently been accused of exploiting building access for theft. In Gillette, Wyoming, a former apartment maintenance worker named Jeras Mendoza Martinez was charged with felony theft after allegedly taking $1,000 from a tenant for a stove that was never purchased, per county17.com. That outlet reported Martinez had told the tenant to leave the cash in her mailbox, and that surveillance footage allegedly showed him accessing the mailbox and moving an undamaged stove from a vacant unit into the tenant's apartment instead. Martinez was arrested on October 7 and booked into the Campbell County Detention Center, the same report states.
A separate case out of New Jersey also involves an apartment employee accused of using building access for theft. nj.com reported that a Monmouth County apartment superintendent was arrested for allegedly using his building access to steal jewelry and other valuables from residents' units.
