A California man is accused of stealing the wallet of a firefighter battling the CZU Lightning Complex Fire and using a credit card to make multiple purchases, authorities said.
Brian Lee Johnson, 37, of Live Oak, admitted stealing the wallet and using a credit card for transactions that included a $1,400 purchase, the East Bay Times reported. According to police, Johnson wrote an apology to the firefighter, KRON-TV reported.
Johnson was charged with felony counts of grand theft, credit card theft, forgery and possession of stolen property, the television station reported. He remained in custody in the Santa Cruz County Jail, according to online records.
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According to Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart, Johnson was detained Wednesday night after investigators were tipped off by a citizen who identified the man in a surveillance video, the Times reported. Officials found Hart at his home wearing the same clothes shown in the surveillance video, along with the items he bought with the credit card.
“He admitted that he had used the credit card and made the charges,” Hart told reporters. “He also sat down and wrote a letter of apology to the fireman.”
Hart said the charges against the firefighter’s credit card have been reversed by his bank and credit card companies, the Times reported.
“(The firefighter) said he’s good now and all he wants to do now is get up on that fire line and do his job,” Hart said.
The theft drew national attention as firefighters attempted to douse multiple fires in the San Francisco Bay area.
“It’s saddening. It’s sickening,” California Fire Operations Chief Mark Brunton told KGO earlier this week. “We are doing everything we can to try to help the community and unfortunately this happens.”
“That’s not who we are here in Santa Cruz County,” Hart told the television station. “That’s not a good representation of our community to take advantage of somebody who came here to help us.”
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire has burned more than 81,333-acres and is 21% contained, as of Thursday morning, KSWB reported.
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