Plumber in hot water over alleged theft

SANDPOINT — An Oklahoma plumber has been arrested on charges that he left Bonner County with more than $6,000 of a local company's tools and equipment.

Joshua Isaac Veach is charged with grand theft. He made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Wednesday via videoconferencing from the Bonner County jail.

Veach's $25,000 bail was sustained and a public defender was appointed to represent him, court records show.

The alleged thefts occurred in November of last year, according to a criminal complaint. Veach was employed as a plumber by Three Amigos Plumbing & Maintenance and assigned a company truck and equipment.

Veach, 33, returned the rig to the company, but left with keys to the vehicle and the company shop, a probable cause affidavit said. After a locksmith was used to gain entry to the truck, it was discovered that a phone and tools purchased for his use while employed with Three Amigos were missing.

Efforts to recover the equipment were unsuccessful, according to court documents. A criminal complaint against Veach was sworn out on January and he was picked up on a $25,000 Bonner County warrant in Oklahoma City later that month, court records indicate.

The total value of the equipment, including additional locksmith work to have the company's shop fitted with new keys, cost the company $6,047, according to a probable cause affidavit.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for March 30.