Man accused of using firefighter’s credit card pleads not guilty

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The man accused of stealing a firefighter's wallet in Bonny Doon has pleaded not guilty to charges of theft.

Surveillance footage led to the arrest of 37-year old Santa Cruz man Brian Johnson. Investigators say they found the clothing Johnson was wearing in the video, and some of the items he bought with the firefighter's stolen credit card.

Sheriff Jim Hart said in a news conference that Johnson confessed to using the credit card and even wrote an apology to the firefighter.

Johnson's girlfriend says there's more to the story.

"The truth is that the fireman left his wallet on the counter of a gas station, and the person who worked at the gas station is an acquaintance of Brian's," Madison Knight said. "He took the wallet and then brought one of the cards and presented it to Brian and Brian made the mistake of using it."

Appearing virtually in court this morning, attorney's discussed Johnson previous crimes, which includes a residential burglary conviction and a vehicle theft conviction.

“We want to hold people accountable for taking advantage of people that are vulnerable, especially because of an ongoing emergency,” Jesus Delgadillo said.

Johnson’s public defender asked for zero bail since his crime is non-violent, but Judge Paul Burdick took into account his previous record and set bail at $150,000.

Johnson’s girlfriend said he didn’t know he used the firefighters stolen credit card until he saw himself on the news, but was too scared to turn himself in.

“He just was like, 'I should just turn myself in now and get it over with.' He's got more consequences than the normal person. He's going to be gone for years," Knight said.

The Sheriff’s Office says there may be another arrest in the case.

The firefighter's bank has already reversed all of the charges on his account.