Economic Crimes Task Force Arrest School Employee For Theft
Gunther’s arrest was made in relation to an active
and on-going investigation where school board funds were utilized to purchase items for
Gunther’s personal use.
Dale Alan Gunther
On February 10, 2016, the BCSO Economic Crimes Task Force arrested 55-year-old
Dale Alan Gunther, of Titusville, on an arrest warrant for the charges of Grand Theft
and Scheming to Defraud. Gunther was booked into the Brevard County Jail and is
being held under a $30,000.00 bond. Gunther, a Brevard Public School employee, is a
Transportation Specialist responsible for tool purchases. In addition to his arrest, agents
also executed a search warrant at his residence in Titusville where property belonging to
BPS was recovered. The investigation determined that items purchased by Gunther
totaled approximately $10,000.00.
This arrest was in addition to the initial January arrest of 57-year-old Edward
Strobush. These arrests are part of a cooperative investigation between the Brevard
County Sheriff’s Office, Economic Crimes Task Force, Brevard/Seminole State
Attorney’s Office and the Brevard County School Superintendent’s Office. These arrests
have been part of a two-month investigation into an organized theft ring operating
inside the Brevard Public School Fleet Maintenance Facility.
The investigation commenced in December after the Superintendent’s Office received
information employees were possibly committing thefts at the fleet maintenance facility.
The information advised employees were taking tools, parts and equipment from the
facility as well as ordering parts on the school’s accounts and were then used for their
personally owned property. This information was forwarded to the Sheriff’s Office and
assigned to the Economic Crimes Task Force who began investigating the specific
crimes. After multiple interviews, weeks of conducting surveillance, deciphering
inventory records and purchase orders provided by the School Board, the Task Force obtained a search warrant. Multiple items were recovered during the search of the
employee’s property, consisting of tools, parts and county purchased inventory. Due to
the number of items seized, a supply truck was used to transport the evidence. Also
during the search, investigators discovered the suspect was placing items on Internet
marketing sites for resale. A second search warrant was obtained and several computers
and other electronics were seized for further investigation.
Gunther’s arrest was the second in this investigation with additional arrests expected to
occur as interviews are conducted and additional search warrants are served. Based on
the investigation to date, the criminal activities appear to be a practice among several
employees to order equipment for personal use or resale, as well as to personally
appropriate property from the School Board Facilities. It is unknown at this time an
exact number of persons involved as the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with additional information about this Investigation is asked to please call
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Task Force Agent Harry Bermudez at
321-633-8410, or CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477), you can also visit
https://crimeline.org/, or text ‘crimeline’ plus your tip to CRIME (274637). All
information to CRIMELINE is confidential and you may be eligible for a reward.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey created the Economic Crimes Task Force in 2013. The Task Force is
comprised of investigators from the Sheriff’s Office, Melbourne Police Department,
Titusville Police Department and FDLE, as well as a prosecutor from the State
Attorney’s Office who specializes in organized fraud.
For additional information concerning this investigation, please contact Lieutenant
