An investigation the Carmi Police have been working on for more than a month has resulted in an arrest. 32 year old Keaton Bradshaw has been arrested for theft of Government Property. A press release from the Carmi PD indicates they were made aware of several purchases made by Bradshaw on June 19th while he was employed as Foreman of the city light plant. The purchases were brought to the attention of City administrators by the city’s auditing firm, Botsch & Associates. Purchases that were sent directly to Bradshaw’s home address include sprayers, drills, a camera system and table saw components among other items, according to the release.
Then on June 21st, Carmi officials signed a complaint for Theft amounting to more than $500 worth of goods. Police then began the investigation into the thefts at that time. During their investigation, law enforcement says they found Bradshaw was in fact in possession of numerous items including the camera system that was installed at that time on Bradshaw’s home.
The purchases were made through an Amazon account and Credit Card both belonging to the City of Carmi. Law enforcement say once Bradshaw was alerted to the investigation, he began bringing the items back to the Light Plant where he worked. Upon completion of their investigation, Police say they finished a report and provided it along with evidence to State’s Attorney Denton Aud who reviewed the case and asked for a special prosecutor due to potential conflicts.
Charges and a Felony Warrant were filed yesterday, August 1st by the special prosecutor from the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor’s Office. Bradshaw turned himself into authorities just after noon Friday. He bonded out of jail on a $2,000 cash bond less than 20 minutes later.
