An employee of Peninsula Hardwood Mulch confessed to his employer he was paid to “look the other way” as Lawrence Ray Waltrip III took mulch from the business, police said.
Waltrip, a 58-year-old from James City County, is accused of taking mulch valued at more than $10,000 outside of business hours over the course of five years, said Stephanie Williams-Ortery, a spokesperson for the James City County Police Department.
According to a criminal complaint filed at the Williamsburg-James City County District Court, Waltrip used a scoop loader owned by the company to transfer the mulch into his own vehicle and paid the employee a total of $9,000 in those five years.
The owner of Peninsula Hardwood Mulch told police he reviewed several hours of surveillance video and observed Waltrip entering the property on several occasions.
When confronted by the owner, Waltrip told him it was “too good of an opportunity to pass up” and he had to “slow down when the cameras were put in,” according to the complaint.
Waltrip resides in St. George’s Hundred in James City County, where he owns and operates Signature Mulch from his home. The complaint said it is believed Waltrip was using the mulch for his own business.
The employee told the owner Waltrip would pay him in checks from Chesapeake Bank, and the employee would then cash them directly.
James City County Police investigators documented the checks paid to the employee after obtaining search warrants for Waltrip’s personal bank account and his Signature Mulch bank account. Records show nine checks were cashed between August 2008 and July 2013, with amounts varying from $300 to $4,000. No checks were from Waltrip’s personal account.
According to the complaint, the amounts paid to the employee were significantly less than the actual mulch price. Peninsula Hardwood Mulch currently sells wood mulch at a cost of between $11.98 and $17.69 per yard, according to its website.
Waltrip was arrested on July 10 and charged with nine felony counts of grand larceny and nine felony counts of conspiracy to commit larceny. Police say the nighttime incidents are still under investigation.
The Peninsula Hardwood Mulch employee has not been charged.