Former UI employee stole items for collateral for pawn loan, police say

IOWA CITY – A former University of Iowa employee faces a felony theft charge for allegedly stealing school property and using the items as collateral for a loan at a pawn shop.

Jeremy J. Olson, 33, of 2401 Friendship St., Iowa City, is accused of keeping tools and supplies after his employment with the UI ended, David Visin, the UI's associate director of public safety, said in an email message.

There were 83 total items that an initial report valued at $3,822, although the dollar amount could change, he said. Information is still being collected, but it appears the items have been returned, he said.

Olson worked at the UI from August 2004 until November 2010, when he resigned as an environmental systems mechanic, according to the UI's human resources office.

In addition to not returning the items, police say Olson also used university property as collateral for a loan at a local pawn shop, according to a criminal complaint.

Current UI employees recently recognized the stolen items for sale at a local business, Visin said.

Olson admitted that the tools and supplies were the UI's and that he should have returned them, according to the complaint.

Olson has been charged with second-degree theft, a class D felony punishable by five years in prison.

Olson has a lengthy criminal record, including theft, forgery and burglary convictions in the mid-1990s, according to online court records.