Fired Vacaville Salvation Army Bell Ringer Arrested For Embezzlement
VACAVILLE (BCN) -- A Vacaville man who was fired from his job as a Salvation Army bell ringer when it was learned he is a sex offender was arrested for embezzlement Friday because he kept ringing the bell and collecting money for himself, police said.
Maurice Van Buren, 47, was hired to collect Salvation Army donations but he lost his job when a records check revealed his sex offender status, Sgt. Charlie Spruill said.
Van Buren used boxes with the Salvation Army logo to collect money for himself at various locations in Vacaville, Spruill said.
Police and state parole officials began tracking his movements around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Spruill said. They located him and the money he collected under false pretenses in the 1400 block of Marshall Road, Spruill said.
Van Buren was arrested for embezzlement and booked into Solano County Jail, where he was placed on a parole hold, Spruill said. He was not arrested for any crimes involving his status as a sex offender, Spruill said.
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