DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A former Doral city official has bonded out of jail after he was arrested for allegedly stealing hundreds of N95 masks reserved for first responders working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and essential city employees.
7News cameras captured 45-year-old Michael Merchan shielding his face with a folder as he walked out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Thursday afternoon.
“Nothing to say,” he said.
Seconds later, he started running away from reporters.
“It’s a disappointment across the board. It’s a disappointment for every city employee, for every city resident,” said Doral Police spokesperson Rey Valdes.
Hours earlier, he appeared in court wearing a mask himself after he was accused of using his position as a supervisor to go into a storage room and stealing nearly 1,000 N95 masks.
According to police, the city had received the shipment of masks and other protective gear, worth about $1,500, in early April.
Weeks later, detectives said, once officials realized they were missing the supplies, they checked the surveillance video.
“You see him taking the boxes. You see him opening the boxes, unpacking them, repacking them and putting them in his automobile, his city-issued automobile,” said Valdes.
Investigators said two boxes of masks were found in the suspect’s apartment, but more than 900 remain unaccounted for.
“It’s bad enough that you commit a crime, but when you steal something, something that is in dire need, such as the N95 masks, something that is being used by medical personnel and first responders, and you deprive them of that, in effect, what you’re doing is jeopardizing their safety and their well-being,” said Valdes, “and that’s something that we will have zero tolerance for, and we’ve addressed accordingly.”
Merchan is also accused of getting another employee to lie about the location of the masks to cover up the alleged theft.
Merchan faces two felony counts of grand theft, including second-degree grand theft of emergency medical equipment, as well as unemployment.
“No one is above the law,” said Valdes.
Despite the theft, city officials said, they still have enough protective gear for their employees.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.