DENVER (KDVR) — A Boulder employee is facing criminal charges after he allegedly stole tools and attempted to pawn them off, according to a news release from the city.

Steven Toney was a groundskeeper at the Flatirons Golf Course, which is owned by the city. He worked there for several seasons before he was hired in a standard role in 2019, and has worked there ever since.

Police reports indicated that the tool sets were noticed to be missing on March 6, according to the release. The Boulder Police Department opened a case on Oct. 19 after the tools were spotted at EZ Pawn in Lafayette and identified with distinguishing damage.

Investigators found that Toney allegedly took the city’s tool sets, along with others that did not belong to the city, to the pawnshop, where a receipt shows that he received $200 for the items.

Boulder city manager: This is a ‘rare incident’

On Oct. 24, he was issued a court summons for allegedly stealing two sets of tools and trying to pawn them. He faces charges of theft and providing false information to a pawnbroker, the release said.

He was placed on leave and was offered a due process hearing to consider his status as a city employee on Thursday, after which he was terminated.

“This is a very unfortunate and rare incident,” City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde said. “We entrust city employees to be responsible stewards of all equipment related to their jobs and more importantly, of our credibility and trust with our taxpaying community. While Mr. Toney is, of course, entitled to a fair trial, the reported behavior is not consistent with our city value of integrity.”

The release said that once the pawnshop was notified that the tools were stolen, they were set aside to return to police as evidence. They will eventually be returned to the golf course.