DEER PARK, TX (CNN/KTRK) -- It happens often in some workplaces, items suddenly disappear from the break room fridge. When that happened at the Deer Park Police Department in Texas, the officers did what they do best: set up a sting operation.
The refrigerator in the break room at the Deer Park Police Department became the target of a thief about a year ago. That's according to the police chief. Chief Greg Griggs says, "I was hearing more complaints and then we had the officer who had 60 pounds of deer sausage taken from the freezer."
And when it not only kept happening but got worse, the chief authorized a video sting. Griggs says, "They put a camera in the break room, obviously a clandestine camera."
Investigators stocked the refrigerator with Monster energy drinks and food and waited. Police say this is Officer Kevin Yang on Nov. 19 taking a Monster energy drink with the initials MSA written on it.
On Nov. 22, Officer Yang takes a bag from a local sandwich shop marked with initials OUT. Then on Nov. 26, he's seen taking anther energy drink out of the fridge and again on Nov. 27.
After three weeks of surveillance on the fridge, investigators hauled Officer Yang in for questioning. He said in that interrogation that he'd simply taken it upon himself to keep the community refrigerator clean. Griggs says, "A lot of times we clean up the community refrigerator like once a week, everything take by Friday or certain date or everything gets thrown out, which we don't do here."
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But using the video as evidence, the chief put Officer Yang on a 30 day unpaid suspension and Yang is now facing misdemeanor theft charges. Griggs says, "If it's not yours, don't take it. I mean you really create a lot of anger in a workplace and frustration."
Officer Yang will be reinstated March 22, even if he's convicted of the class c misdemeanor.
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