CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – An employee at Lowe’s in Clarksburg has been charged with embezzlement after police said he stole more than $6,000 worth of merchandise from the store and gave about half of it away as Christmas gifts.

Brian Barnes

On February 10, officers with the Clarksburg Police department responded to Lowe’s on Emily Drive in Clarksburg for a larceny complaint, according to a criminal complaint. Officers said that upon arrival on scene, they spoke with the man who had called police, who stated that he had camera footage of an employee Brian Barnes, 39, of Clarksburg, stealing an item of Lowe’s merchandise. The man provided officers with a signed, written statement he had obtained from Barnes, where Barnes wrote that over the course of the last six months, he had stolen a total of $6,206 worth of Lowe’s merchandise, according to the complaint.

Officers said that when they asked Barnes about the $6,206 worth of stolen merchandise, he had stated that he gave half of the merchandise away as Christmas gifts, and the other half was still at his house. Police said Barnes brought back the half of the stolen merchandise that he had at his house on the following day, which consisted of 52 items and had a total value of $3,300.86.

Barnes has been charged with embezzlement, according to court documents. He is currently being held at North Central Regional Jail and his bail has been set at $6,000.