CLINTON TWP — A former employee is accused of stealing more than a ton of metal materials — a little at a time — from the Cygnus Manufacturing Co. that he sold to a scrap yard for thousands of dollars.

Albert J. Lloyd, 44, of Kittanning faces a hearing next month on a felony theft charge at the office of District Judge Sue Haggerty in Saxonburg.

State police Monday arrested Lloyd after an internal company investigation uncovered the alleged crime that occurred between October and February.

Police last week met with Cygnus president John Maholtz, who turned over the findings of the company investigation, said Trooper Kenneth Walker.

“He had all the documents and information,” Walker said of Maholtz. “He and his staff had everything basically air tight.”

Cygnus is a precision manufacturer of products and components for medical devices, transportation, scientific instrumentation, energy, aerospace and defense applications.

Lloyd worked at the firm as a machinist before he was fired when the suspected theft came to light.

The probe, police said, found that Lloyd had taken brass blanks belonging to the business, and sold the property at P.J. Greco Sons salvage yard in Kittanning.

The stolen materials are small rectangular pieces, weighing about a pound each, which Cygnus uses in its production process.

Walker eventually spoke to the defendant, who admitted the theft.

“He said he was sorry and what he did was stupid,” the trooper said. “He was embarrassed.”

Police suspect in all, Lloyd stole 2,739 pounds of brass that he exchanged at Greco’s for $3,540. He allegedly made 40 separate transactions at the scrap business.

Authorities noted that Greco, suspecting the property could be stolen, kept the brass until contacted by the company during its investigation.

The defendant did not disclose to investigators how he removed the items from his workplace nor what he did with the money he got from selling the stolen property, Walker said.

Haggerty on Monday arraigned Lloyd on a second-degree felony count of theft. He remains free on $5,000 unsecured bail.

A preliminary hearing is set for June 8.