Jail employee caught stealing underwear

LONG ISLAND, N.Y., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- It took two years for a Long Island jail employee to smuggle the $13,000 worth of underwear out of the facility but then the law caught up with him.

Authorities charged 39-year-old John Cofield Jr. with grand larceny for stealing the male and female skivvies meant for the inmates, the New York Post reported.

If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.

District Attorney Dennis Dillon said Cofield allegedly took the briefs, bras and panties from the jail one bundle at a time.

One official said Cofield claimed he gave the stolen underwear to friends and family. But authorities suspect he sold the items.