Uniformed Multnomah County employee accused of stealing hundreds from hardware store

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local government employee was arrested and accused of stealing over $700 of merchandise from a store while wearing his work apparel, Portland police said.

Scappoose resident Leonel Sandoval, 55, is an employee of Multnomah County Facilities. He was arrested on Thursday night and accused of theft and other charges, the Portland Police Bureau said.

Police responded in the early evening on Aug. 14 to a hardware store in the 1700 block of North Tomahawk Island Drive on reports of a theft that occurred, with the suspect being detained by the store’s loss prevention employees.

Sandoval was identified as the suspect after he allegedly arrived at the store in a county vehicle and uniform.

“Preliminary investigation by store employees and officers indicated that Sandoval had selected $785.85 worth of flooring product, passed all points of sale, then attempted to return the unpurchased items,” PPB said.

Sandoval, who was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, faces charges that include second-degree theft and second-degree official misconduct.

Police said they notified Multnomah County about the incident and a supervisor retrieved the county vehicle.

A spokesperson for Mulntomah County released the following statement about the arrest:

“Multnomah County does not tolerate employee misconduct or misuse of County assets. Upon learning of the allegations, the County immediately placed Mr. Sandoval on administrative leave. The County has launched an internal investigation into any potential violation of County rules and policies. We are cooperating fully with Portland Police.”

In addition, the county spokesperson confirmed that Sandoval is the same individual who received a Civilian Medal of Heroism by the City of Portland for saving the life of a suicidal person in 2014. And it is the same Sandoval who had a 1998 conviction of Manufacture/Deliver Controlled Substance, a charge for which he was later granted clemency by then-Oregon Governor Kate Brown in 2017.