Suspected Caltrain Vending Machine Thiefs Appear in Court

A preliminary hearing for two longtime San Mateo County Transit District employees accused of from Caltrain ticket vending machines they were assigned to repair has been continued once again, nearly a year after the two appeared for an initial felony arraignment on June 21, 2011.

Orvilla Taylor, 59, and Herbert Todd, 53, appeared in San Mateo Superior Court Tuesday morning before Judge Cliff Cretan. The two have to charges of embezzlement and grand theft in connection with the alleged thievery, in which prosecutors say Taylor and Todd, who repaired ticket vending machines for the county’s transit district for more than 20 years, would remove damaged ticket machines and bring them to headquarters.

On 12 such occasions, according to prosecutors, Taylor and Todd disassembled the machines and removed money. The pair are charged with 12 felonies.

The two stole more than $40,000, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, before returning the machines to service.

An audit by Caltrain discovered the discrepancies between the amount deposited in the machines and what Caltrain ultimately collected, and video surveillance at the stations showed “suspicious and irregular conduct by the two suspects,” prosecutors said.

Taylor and Todd were subsequently arrested and have been charged with grand theft and embezzlement.

According to Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunne, the two were terminated from their positions in Fall 2011 after an internal investigation by Caltrain.

Tuesday, four witnesses were called to testify during the preliminary hearing, including two transit district employees and the two members of law enforcement who investigated the suspected crime.

Wagstaffe thinks Taylor and Todd committed the alleged crime for personal advantage. "There was no one particular thing that we know of, there was no bankruptcy or anything like that."

Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn says Todd was hired in June 1985, and Taylor in January 1977. Both have been placed on administrative leave pending the completion of an internal employment investigation and resolution of the criminal matter, she said.

Wagstaffe believes the two got involved in the scheme fairly recently. "We don't believe this happened over the course of the whole career."

Taylor and Todd remain out of custody on $150,000 bond. The preliminary hearing will resume June 26 at 9:00 a.m.

Lewis Romero is the defense attorney retained for Taylor, and Daniel Barton the defense attorney retained for Todd.

For more news about Millbrae and surrounding areas, follow us on Twitter and "like" us on Facebook. Get Patched in daily - for free - by signing up for our newsletter. 

Want to blog for us? Simply click here.