The Bonney Lake Police Department arrested an East Pierce Fire and Rescue firefighter for allegedly stealing money from the department’s helmet and lifejacket fund.

Shane McBane, 28, was arrested July 21 and charged with four counts of theft following a two-week investigation that involved video surveillance, a stakeout and the placement of marked bills.

According to a police report, McBane admitted during questioning to taking money from the fund.

Fire Chief Jerry Thorson called the thefts an “isolated incident” and stressed that the money taken was not taxpayer money.

“At no time was any public money or resources at risk,” he said.

The money in the fund was donated for the purchase of buying lifejackets and helmets, which the department sells to residents at cost.

Thorson said employees started noticing money missing and provided information up the chain of command, starting the investigation.

“I credit the department members for identifying this and stepping up,” he said. “We have a very good department; people dedicated to doing the right thing.”

According to the police report, the investigation began July 9 when Deputy Chief John McDonald contact the police department about approximately $210 missing from the lifejacket and helmet fund.

The money was kept in a binder in the front office and was accessible to anyone with access to the fire department. The total was reconciled at the beginning and end of business every day, Monday through Friday.

Police installed a pinhole camera in the office July 15, by which time more money had gone missing. According to McDonald’s statements in the report, the thefts occurred mostly after hours, though once during the day.

The camera was motion-activated and recorded for three minutes after turning on.

On July 16, fire officials reported $52 had been stolen during the night. On July 18, another $49 was missing.

Though the identification of the person could not be made out, identifying characteristics were seen in the footage, including the suspect wearing an East Pierce Fire and Rescue shirt during the second incident. The report noted someone was “clearly seen taking money from the cabinet and placing it in his right, front pants pocket.”

Police detectives staked out the department July 19 and witnessed a lone male enter the station at 10:12 p.m. Police at that time took note of the license plate on the suspect’s vehicle and observed the individual wearing a baseball cap consistent with one seen in earlier surveillance footage.

No other individuals in civilian clothing were seen entering the station.

The next morning, McDonald again notified police that money had been stolen and a review of the surveillance footage showed the man seen entering the station the night before removing money from the cabinet and placing it in his pocket.

A check of the license plate revealed the vehicle seen at the station during the night was registered to McBane’s wife.

On the night of July 21, police supplied the fire department with $45 in marked bills to be put in the binder and again staked out the fire department.

At 10:31 p.m., the vehicle seen on the previous occasion again entered the lot and an individual was observed using a code to open the station door and walk into the fire bays.

At 10:38 p.m., the individual exited the building and detectives and police officers contacted the individual, asking “Shane McBane?”

When the suspect stopped and said “yeah” he was placed under arrest. A search revealed $45 in his pocket. The money was later verified by serial number to be the money planted by the police department. A cap matching the one worn by the individual seen in the videos was found in his vehicle.

When the money was found, McBane stated the money was “union money” and that he was a shift representative.

During an interview with police, McBane was asked why he was at the station that evening and said he was in charge of the department’s fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and was there to pick up some T-shirts.

When asked why he did not have the T-shirts, McBane said he was going to exchange some “small MDA bills” for larger ones from the helmet fund and he planned to exchange the money first and then get the shirts. He also said he had not used the helmet fund in the past for a similar purposes, before changing his mind and saying he had, though he could not remember when.

McBane also told police he had $400 in $5 bills in his vehicle to exchange. After receiving consent to search the vehicle, police placed the money into evidence.

During questioning, police confronted McBane about his story. A detective said it did not make sense that McBane would come to the station late at night to make change form two separate union funds, nor did it make sense that he would remove money from the office in order to make change in his vehicle, or why he would not just make change at a bank.

According to the report, “At this point McBane became extremely nervous and his voice began to shake as he spoke. McBane began to perspire, to the point of soaking the neck and breast area of his shirt in a matter of minutes.”

Police also note that the temperature in the room was “normal.”

When told of the video surveillance, McBane’s shoulders “slumped” and he admitted to taking money from the fund in the past because of financial problems his family was having.

McBane told police he had been using the helmet fund as “petty cash” for three or four weeks and it was not union money and not department money so he did not think it was a big deal. He also said he planned on returning it, though he did not know how he planned on paying it back or how much he had taken.

McBane was placed on paid administrative leave and was advised he is not allowed on East Pierce property or allowed to contact any East Pierce employees except his union representative.

He was transported to Buckley Jail and booked on four counts of theft.

Thorson said an internal investigation was under way within the fire department and again stressed that the arrest should not reflect on the department as a whole.

“Our department is made up of honest and trustworthy people that have the public’s best interest at heart,” Thorson said. “This shouldn’t reflect on the rest of the department.”