Napa County deputies arrest former winery employee in $10,000 wine theft
NAPA COUNTY – Authorities in Napa County arrested a man on suspicion of grand theft and vehicle theft Friday after he allegedly stole $10,000 in wine.
According to the Napa County Sheriff's Office, Jose Humberto Martinez was arrested in connection with a theft at an undisclosed local winery, where he was a former employee. The sheriff's office posted a picture purportedly showing the boxes of wine in the back of a van.
Deputies said Martinez told them that he was holding the wine as a way to get his final paycheck from his old job.
Martinez was booked into the Napa County Jail on the above charges, along with receiving stolen property.
Deputies said Friday that the wine and van were given back to their rightful owners.
According to jail records, the 29-year-old is being held on $25,000 bail. It was not immediately known when Martinez would appear in court on the charges.