An employee of a business where wine is sold has been charged with theft for allegedly stealing little bottles of wine, and drinking them on the job.

Chad Damian Fonceca, 43, Linton, was arrested Monday, October 21, by Officer Orry Phipps of the Linton Police Department.

Officer Phipps was dispatched to the Walmart store in Linton early that afternoon after the police department received a theft complaint.

When Officer Phipps arrived, he learned one of the store’s asset protection associates had another store associate (employee) in a back office. The associate was identified as Fonceca.

The asset protection associate told Officer Phipps that on a previous day, he watched Fonceca select two miniature bottles of Sutter Home wine from the liquor aisle, conceal the bottles in his store vest pockets, walk through the meat department then into the grocery stockroom. He said Fonceca then walked into the produce cooler and closed the door. Another asset protection associate later found the bottles in the cooler.

The asset protection associate further claimed that throughout the course of the day and the following day, Fonceca selected and drank 27 more miniature bottles of wine of various brands including White Zinfandel, Moscato and Cabernet wines.

Officer Phipps reported the asset protection associate provided him with a DVD of video surveillance footage and that when he reviewed the video, it was consistent with the incident the asset protection associate had described.

The total value of the items was reported to be $57.13.

Fonceca was taken into custody and transported to the Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $1,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

When Fonceca appeared in court this afternoon, Thursday, October 24, he was charged with theft, a Class A misdemeanor, and a public defender was appointed to represent him.

As of Thursday evening, Fonceca had not yet posted bond.