Columbia’s former parking facilities manager has pleaded not guilty to stealing more than $25,000 in coins from city parking meters.
39-year-old James Joseph Faup has waived arraignment and is represented by defense attorney Christopher Slusher. City manager De’Carlon Seewood tells 939 the Eagle that the city has been reviewing internal processes and procedures, after Faup’s April arrest:
“Part of what we should do as government operations is when you see those instances occur you kind of see exactly where were the pitfalls. What happened and how do you ensure that it doesn’t happen again. So we’ve done a thorough process to kind of review our operations to see what improvements we can make for the future,” Mr. Seewood says.
Mr. Seewood spoke during Friday afternoon’s press conference at city hall, following his state of the city address. Columbia Public Works and the city’s Finance Department have conducted reviews.
What we know: The Columbia Police Department’s three-page probable cause statement says video from a camera in the room where Columbia’s parking meter coins are kept allegedly shows Faup entering the room at least five times in March, opening the locked coin boxes and “scooping out” coins into Menards buckets.
What’s unclear: Faup’s next court appearance in Boone County Circuit Court hasn’t been set yet.
What is means: The court documents say Faup admitted to police after his arrest that he’s stolen about $45,000 in coins. However, he’s pleaded NOT guilty in the case in court.