Theft charge against Griffing dropped

WARREN

A misdemeanor theft charge against Dennis J. Griffing, a Warren operations department employee who admitted stealing 15 to 20 newspapers per day from Warren vending boxes for more than a year, has been dropped.

Griffing appeared in Warren Municipal Court, where Judge Terry Ivanchak ordered Griffing to pay $2,235 in restitution. The charge was dropped because he was willing to pay restitution and attended a theft diversion program, court officials said.

Griffing, 53, of North Street Northwest, brother of Warren Auditor David Griffing, was caught taking the newspapers by a police investigator who conducted surveillance on him as he left for work in April.

Griffing said he took the newspapers to the operations department to share with co-workers.