NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – A demoted NYPD cop was suspended this week after being accused of stealing $1,300 worth of wood flooring from a Long Island store, officials said.
The cop, Lina Ruiz, 40, was arrested on Monday for stealing 10 boxes of flooring from a Floor & Decor store in Commack on April 13, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Ruiz was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and issued a desk appearance ticket.
She was suspended from duty upon her arrest, an NYPD spokesman said.
She had already been demoted from captain to lieutenant for hanging out in a bar while on duty in 2018, according to the Daily News.
Ruiz's attorney, Peter Brill, told the Daily News that the theft was a misunderstanding and a "comedy of errors." Ruiz, who is building a home on Long Island, had ordered 65 boxes of wood flooring from the story but only received 55, Brill said.
The Floor & Decor store employee told Ruiz that there were some more boxes at the store and that she would put a note on the computer that Ruiz had already paid for the boxes, letting her take them.
The entry wasn’t made, leading to the arrest of Ruiz, Brill said.
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