Rennie is being charged with possession and theft of property worth over $5,000; he will also be charged with criminal breach of trust. The 51-year-old was released Monday afternoon on a promise to appear in court on January 4.
The
Salvation Army had recently told police the items had gone missing over the past 2 years, saying they had been alerted by an employee of the same warehouse in August that there were irregularities there. That alert, they told police, had lead to an internal audit which revealed the missing goods.
Police say they are
looking for a second suspect in the case but did not reveal whether that person, too, had worked for the Salvation Army. The stolen goods are now being itemized by police, who say they intend to return them to the charity in time for Christmas.
Stolen Toys founds in warehouses
Toronto police found most of the items in a Brampton warehouse not connected to the Salvation Army last week, needing some 150 skids to remove them; other missing items were found over the weekend in a North York warehouse. The Salvation Army had fired Rennie before he was turned in, doing so early last week, and it appeared at that time the thefts were an inside job.
“We’re alleging the thefts took place under David Rennie’s control and without the permission of the Salvation Army,” Det.-Sgt. Jim Gotell said at a news conference. “We’re alleging that the toys were going to be redirected to other parties and sold for profit."
