A Marietta city employee is accused of ordering nearly $1,100 worth of wiring on municipal funds and then selling it for a personal profit, according to police.
Forrest Duaine Bee Jr., 44, of Marietta, was charged with felony theft by conversion when the alleged crime was discovered, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the AJC.
Bee, an employee with the city's Parks and Recreation department, was authorized to purchase wiring, and on Feb. 14, he obtained an order for 5,000 feet of it, according to the arrest warrant.
At the time of the order, Bee said it was to be used at the pavilion at Laurel Park, at 151 Manning Road, the warrant states.
But Bee did not complete the Laurel Park wiring, and the job was instead handled by other city employees, according to police. The wire Bee had purchased could not be found, forcing the city to re-order the materials, police said.
Investigators determined that on the same day Bee received the wire order, he sold 185 pounds of what appeared to be new rolls of wire as scrap metal to Marietta Recycling on Marble Hill Road, police said. Bee pocketed $462.50 from the recycling company, according to the warrant.
When questioned by police, Bee initially said he hadn't sold much wire, police said.
"However, upon further investigation, during the previous year said accused has sold more than 5,000 pounds of wire to the same recycler, Marietta Recycling," the warrant states.
Bee was arrested March 8 and booked into the Cobb County Jail. He was released the following day after posting $2,500 bond, jail records show.
Bee could face additional charges, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation, Officer David Baldwin with Marietta police told the AJC. Bee has been suspended with pay from his job while the investigation continues, Channel 2 Action News reported.
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