Police: City employee used city-owned tools to do side jobs - Laredo Morning Times

Mario Escalera.
An employee of the City of Laredo Municipal Housing Department has been arrested for using city-owned tools to do side jobs, according to Laredo police.
Mario Escalera, 57, was arrested on June 16 via a warrant charging him with abuse of official capacity.
A supervisor for the City of Laredo Municipal Housing Department filed a police report stating that an employee, Escalera, had taken assorted tools and equipment from the City of Laredo Municipal Housing warehouse without permission. The value of the items taken were about $2,027.92, according to court documents.
The supervisor stated he had been in the area to conduct a surprise inspection on a city-owned house located in the 3300 block of Aberdeen Loop. The house had clutter in the front and rear.
The supervisor took photos and submitted them to his supervisor for investigation. Housing officials then noticed on the photos several tools that belonged to the Municipal Housing Department, according to an arrest affidavit.
Officials made contact with the renter of the home on Aberdeen. He was identified as Escalera. He stated he had borrowed the tools about two weeks ago.
“Escalera advised (the supervisor) that he took the equipment without letting anyone know because he knew they would not let him if he had asked. Escalera mentioned he would return the equipment in a week after he finished doing side jobs,” states the affidavit.
A search of his backyard yielded “a multitude of equipment” that belonged to the Municipal Housing Department. Inside his Ford F-150, he also had a 5-gallon jug of paint, two sets of restroom faucets and one set of kitchen faucets that also belonged to the Municipal Housing Department, according to court documents.
Police learned that city employees are allowed to carry assorted tools in the work vehicles, but they are not allowed to remove them for personal use, states the affidavit.
“(The supervisor) informed (police) that Escalera has worked for the Housing Department for approximately 10 years and had never had an issue until now,” the affidavit states.
In an interview with investigators, Escalera stated he had worked for the Municipal Housing Department as a maintenance worker providing handyman work for the housing properties.
“He said that approximately three weeks ago, he started to have financial hardship and that his salary was insufficient to pay the bills. Escalera noted that he took it upon himself to take home the same tools and equipment and use them for handyman work after hours,” states the affidavit.
Escalera added he had no intentions to steal the items because he continued working for the city and would need the tools to work orders assigned to him. Escalera then provided a copy of a written confession in Spanish to investigators, according to court documents.

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