A Santa Rosa Junior College police officer is suspected of stealing several thousand dollars from the department, the latest North Coast resident to be accused of embezzling from an employer.
Jeff Holzworth, 51, was arrested at 10 a.m. Wednesday as he finished his shift, said Lt. Lance Badger with the Santa Rosa Police Department.
Detectives have not yet determined how much he took and were still poring over records and evidence.
Officers have seized "several thousand dollars" during searches of Holzworth's Santa Rosa home, his personal and work vehicles as well as his work space, Badger said.
"We're still trying to determine how long this has been happening," Badger said.
Holzworth's arrest came after a three-week investigation, launched when another employee told SRJC Police Chief Matt McCaffrey that they suspected an officer was involved in an ongoing embezzlement scheme.
That day, Nov. 1, McCaffrey called Santa Rosa police and asked them to handle the case. The Santa Rosa Police Department has an agreement with the college to investigate certain crimes.
Holzworth has worked for SRJC police for 28 years, starting with a staff position and eventually becoming a police officer, Badger said.
Late Wednesday, Holzworth remained in custody on $150,000 bail at the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of grand theft and embezzlement, jail staff said.
He was scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday in courtroom 9.
College officials placed Holzworth on administrative leave.
His arrest follows a string of high-profile embezzlement cases on the North Coast.
Last week, a judge sentenced John C. Sheehan, 43, of Rohnert Park to more than nine years in prison for stealing nearly $1.2 million from the Petaluma company where he worked.
In October, prosecutors charged Jodi Azevedo, 44, of Petaluma with siphoning more than $1.5 million from a San Rafael commercial real estate firm.
You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220, julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter @jjpressdem.
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