Former bank employee suspected of theft applies for police job

PHOENIX — A man suspected of stealing from a bank was arrested last week by the Cottonwood (Ariz.) Police Department during what he thought was an interview for a police dispatcher job.

Alberto Saavedra Lopez, 32, had been sought since October 2016, when Bank of America filed a theft report, police said.

Bank officials suspected Lopez, a former employee, stole about $5,000 between July and September of that year from the bank.

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Lopez moved to Phoenix and kept missing appointments with investigators and refusing to answer their phone calls, police said in a news release.

A warrant for his arrest was issued by the Yavapai County (Ariz.) Attorney’s Office, but Lopez avoided contact with law-enforcement officials for another year.

In December, Lopez applied for a job opening as a dispatcher with the Cottonwood (Ariz.) Police Department.

During a background check, the warrant came to light, and officers scheduled an interview at the Cottonwood police station Thursday.

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When Lopez arrived for his interview, Cottonwood police officers placed him under arrest in connection with the bank theft.

Cottonwood police, in the release, added Lopez was "out of the running for employment with the police department."

Follow Chris McCrory on Twitter: @ckm_news