County engineer Darren Capps said Tuesday safeguards are now in place to prevent any future thefts of county-owned property.

In November, at least four employees were terminated for allegedly stealing an assortment of items, including tools, while working for the engineer’s office. Two men – Donnie Maughon and Marcus Maughon – did not face any criminal charges. Two others – William Mayhall and Gary Musgrove – were jailed on theft charges. According to the county district attorney’s office, those cases are still pending.

Since then, the department has hired a parts/inventory clerk and conducted a detailed accounting of all parts and equipment, Capps said.

“We have now identified and inventoried all small tools, like drills and saws,” he said. “A lot of that equipment came from the district shops, and we weren’t sure exactly what we had in the beginning. Now, each tool is given an ID number, and we can keep track of them.

“The same thing applies to supplies such as pipe, silt fencing, any part bought for a vehicle or machinery,” he said. “There is even a process of making sure that specific part goes on that particular piece of equipment. That ensures that it gets in the right place and is a needed piece.”