BUTLER TWP — A Butler County man faces felony theft for allegedly underringing thousands of dollars in merchandise while working at the Home Depot store during the past several months.

Butler Township police said Barry Wright, 48, of Oakland Township was caught on video surveillance ringing up items, voiding the purchases off the register and then placing the items in the shopper’s bag.

Police Detective Sgt. Nathan Teslik said Wright is accused of allowing at least $5,400 in merchandise to pass through his register.

“He admitted doing it for several months, from June or July to September,” Teslik said. But he would not identify the friends he so-called “sweet-hearted” in the scam.

The defendant started working at the Home Depot in the Moraine Pointe Plaza shopping center in August 2012.

Wright was identified as a suspect in the theft at the store after a computer audit revealed a large number of voided purchases at his cash register, according to court documents.

Home Depot officials have advised police that Wright already has repaid the store for the stolen merchandise, Teslik said.

Police on Tuesday charged the defendant with third-degree felony theft. A preliminary hearing in the case will be Feb. 13.

The Butler Eagle could not reach Wright for comment