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Editor's note: The case detailed in this story was expunged from court and police records in 2018.
LOGAN — A Utah State University employee was arrested Tuesday after police said he stole more than 40 textbooks and sold them back to the campus bookstore.
Campus police said they arrested USU graduate Landon Putnam, 24, after bookstore employees noticed he was returning expensive textbooks at various buyback locations over the past week. He allegedly stole 44 books, one or two at a time, throughout the school year. In all, they are valued at almost $6,700, and he received over $3,100 by returning them, police said.
Putnam has been terminated from his part-time position doing data entry in the USU admissions office, where his cousin is the director, campus officials said. USU Police Sgt. Jessica Elder said he was cooperative when officers interviewed him Tuesday.
He was booked into the Cache County Jail and charged Thursday in 1st District Court with theft.
Update (03/01/2016): The original felony charges were amended to Class A misdemeanors prior to sentencing. Putnam pleaded guilty to the amended charges and completed his restitution to the court.
Email: pkoepp@ksl.com
