Akron Man Charged in Theft from Maverick Industries

A former employee of has been charged with grand theft, and police estimate that the company could have lost more than $300,000 during the past three years.

Todd Barnhardt, 43, of Akron, was charged on Oct. 7 with grand theft and possession of criminal tools.

The company had lost some inventory over the years, said City Prosecutor Sergio DiGeronimo, but it wasn’t until September that an employee noticed Barnhardt take a cart with boxes out to the garbage. The owner checked the garbage at the end of the day and found five boxes full of fittings.

Before the owner could speak with Barnhardt the following Monday, he came in and quit without a confrontation. The owner called the , DiGeronimo said, and the department contacted scrap yards in Summit County. One of the yards told police they had been buying scrap metal from Barnhardt since 2008. DiGeronimo said he told the yard he purchased the metal off eBay.

When police searched Barnhardt’s home, they discovered more than 200 work gloves with Maverick Industries’ name on them, as well as other items, DiGeronimo said.

Detective Dave Hetrick said that during those three years, the scrap yard paid more than $30,000 to Barnhardt for brass and stainless steel pieces. The company could have lost anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000, he said.