Hillsborough sheriff's cadet arrested on theft charge, deputies say

Hillsborough sheriff’s cadet arrested on theft charge, deputies say

A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office cadet was arrested Tuesday after deputies said he stole ATM money while working for a cash handling company.

Darius Barnwell, 25, was just two days into his training at the Sheriff’s Office academy when detectives were notified about some possible illegal activity prior to him starting. From Oct. 6 to Feb.6, Barnwell was employed by Loomis, a cash handling business, and delivered money to ATM vendors. Detectives determined that Barnwell removed money from his deliveries nine different times.

In each instance, he forced the ATM to balance, stopping the system from raising any red flags.

Barnwell was arrested Tuesday on a charge of grand theft of between $10,000 and $20,000. He did not appear in Hillsborough County jail records Wednesday morning.