Man accused of selling city Dumpsters for scrap in Vero Beach

VERO BEACH — Police caught up with a man Wednesday who was loading city Dumpsters into the back of his pickup and selling them for scrap, according to his affidavit.

Christopher S. Gelinas, 45, of the 4100 block of State Road A1A, Vero Beach was charged with three counts each of grand theft and dealing in stolen property. He remained at the Indian River County Jail on Thursday in lieu of $37,500 bail.

Officers took reports about the three missing Dumpsters on Wednesday, including one instance in which a witness saw two men loading the receptacle in the back of a pickup, the affidavit states. The witness took down the license plate before the men left the 1100 block of 21st Street about 4 p.m., police said. Officers tracked down the vehicle's owner, who said she had lent it to Gelinas for collecting scrap metal.

"The Dumpsters are made out of aluminum and are light enough that two people can move them," Vero Beach Detective Richard Chimenti said.

Records at a local scrap dealer showed Gelinas sold the Dumpsters for about $120 each. The Dumpsters cost the city $1,200 each, police said.

The other thefts occurred in the 500 block of 21st Street and the 2500 block of 12th Avenue.