Former Setton employee accused of stealing pistachios

A 29-year-old Porterville man is in jail for allegedly stealing more than $2,000 worth of pistachios from Setton Pistachio in Terra Bella.

The man, identified as Justino Leon, was booked on suspicion of grand theft and possession of stolen property.

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department reports that on Thursday deputies responded to the pistachio plant for reports of a theft. The manager told deputies a former employee, later identified as Leon, had returned to the business at 2:20 a.m. and stole 19 boxes of processed pistachios. The manager said the estimated loss was $2,375.

The sheriff’s department said deputies contacted Leon at his home in the 100 block of West Vine Avenue in Porterville and recovered the stolen pistachios.

Leon was arrested and booked at the sheriff’s substation in Porterville.