Contractor who stole radios from 911 center sentenced
by Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger
Friday August 08, 2008, 5:19 PM
A contractor who swiped three dozen police and fire radios from Warren County's 911 Communications Center, then tried to sell them on eBay, was sentenced today to 364 days in jail.
But John P. Holmes won't have to spend any time behind bars if he repays the county $58,585 for missing radios and stays out of trouble during three years of probation.
Holmes, 40, of Allentown, Pa., last year worked on a renovation of the communications center, upgrading a fire sprinkler system at the center in Franklin Township.
Received through a grant, the radios were to be distributed in the Delaware River counties of Warren, Sussex and Hunterdon as part of a project to improve regional communication in the event of a natural disaster, authorities said.
The radios were reported missing on Nov. 2. Radios were sold on the eBay internet auction site, and some ended up in Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin and North Carolina, authorities said.
During his plea in March to third-degree theft, Holmes told the judge that when the portable radios accidentally ended up in his vehicle, he couldn't resist the temptation to sell them to pay off mounting bills. He said that after he had fallen ill, he got behind in electric and mortgage bill payments.
Holmes took responsibility for his actions and admitted he was wrong, and his lawyer told the court that Holmes was ready to make restitution for about half of the outstanding amount.
by Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger
Friday August 08, 2008, 5:19 PM
A contractor who swiped three dozen police and fire radios from Warren County's 911 Communications Center, then tried to sell them on eBay, was sentenced today to 364 days in jail.
But John P. Holmes won't have to spend any time behind bars if he repays the county $58,585 for missing radios and stays out of trouble during three years of probation.
Holmes, 40, of Allentown, Pa., last year worked on a renovation of the communications center, upgrading a fire sprinkler system at the center in Franklin Township.
Received through a grant, the radios were to be distributed in the Delaware River counties of Warren, Sussex and Hunterdon as part of a project to improve regional communication in the event of a natural disaster, authorities said.
The radios were reported missing on Nov. 2. Radios were sold on the eBay internet auction site, and some ended up in Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin and North Carolina, authorities said.
During his plea in March to third-degree theft, Holmes told the judge that when the portable radios accidentally ended up in his vehicle, he couldn't resist the temptation to sell them to pay off mounting bills. He said that after he had fallen ill, he got behind in electric and mortgage bill payments.
Holmes took responsibility for his actions and admitted he was wrong, and his lawyer told the court that Holmes was ready to make restitution for about half of the outstanding amount.
