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Last updated on Monday, November 5, 2012
(BLOOMINGTON) - Derek Neff, the former city street and traffic director who police say sold more than 52,000 pounds of the city’s scrap metal to a local salvage yard, turned himself in at the Monroe County Jail and posted bond about two hours later.
The Monroe County Prosecutor's Office filed seven felony charges of theft and one felony charge of official misconduct against Neff on Friday, following a Bloomington police investigation.
38-year-old Neff, an Oolitic resident, turned himself in at the Monroe County Jail at 6:32 p.m. Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was released at 8:25 p.m., after posting a $5,000 surety and $8,300 cash bond.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Bob Miller says that Neff's cash bond amount "equals the dollar amount that's alleged to be outstanding."
According to a probable cause affidavit, after receiving a report of possible theft from the city's traffic division last month, Bloomington detectives obtained information from JB Salvage that indicated Neff turned in a total of 52,770 pounds of aluminum, steel, iron and tin at the salvage yard and collected almost $8,300 in cash and checks over 19 different occasions between March 14 and Oct. 3.
Some of that metal included signs, sign poles, traffic signal poles and traffic signal control boxes.
The felony charge of official misconduct states that Neff, a public servant, knowingly committed an offense, theft, while performing his official duties.
Each felony charge of theft represents each month investigators say Neff sold city scrap metal in 2012. In some of those transactions with JB Salvage, police say Neff visited the salvage yard more than once a day.
Mayor Mark Kruzan said last week that city officials are making inventory lists of all metals and surplus supplies for each department and division.
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