Police: Employee Helped With Paint Theft

Last December, that three brazen thieves had walked away from Rings End Lumber without payinf for the nine gallons of paint they'd stolen, although it wasn't clear how they were able to do so.

It became clearer on Monday, when police announced the arrest of a former store employee, who, they say, allowed the theft to take place.

According to , Jose Maldonado, 39, of Clinton Avenue in Norwalk, allowed his three friends to walk out of the store with the paint, which police say is valued at $340 (back in December, police said the value was $309).

When managers confronted Maldonado, he admitted to the Nov. 22, 2011, theft, police said.

Originally, Rings End managers wondered whether the missing paint may have been taken by employees of a business with an account at the store.

Three thieves drove off from Rings End Lumber in late November with nine gallons of Cabot paint, according to the business, which initially thought they might have been working for contractors with an account at the store.

The incident was reported to police on Dec. 7. Maldonado was charged with sixth-degree larceny and released on a written promise to appear in state Superior Court in Norwalk on May 7.