A longtime state employee allegedly stole and pawned several work computers starting in April, according to charges filed Friday in Ramsey County District Court.

Daryl B. Bacchus, 38, of Woodbury, was arrested at his workplace, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), and "did not appear surprised and didn't even ask why he was being arrested," according to charges.

Bacchus faces eight counts of theft of public funds.

According to the complaint: St. Paul police were notified by DEED on July 29 that 10 IBM laptops and accessories were stolen. The computers were delivered to the office in downtown St. Paul in April and stored in a secure area in the basement.

Police ran the computers' serial numbers through the Automated Pawn System and traced them back to Bacchus. Bacchus has worked for DEED since 1998, and had 24-hour access to the department's buildings "and every aspect of their computer system remotely," the charges said.

Bacchus recently asked co-workers to loan him money because of "a problem" with one of his cousins, the complaint said.

Authorities found that Bacchus allegedly pawned 26 computers and one screen projector believed to be property of DEED, but only 15 could be traced via serial numbers.

Bacchus allegedly pawned several items at numerous shops across the metro between April 28 and June 20, receiving $2,679.50, according to charges. The total value of those items and their software was $13,790.

Bacchus declined to give a statement to police after his arrest, the charges said. His record includes speeding tickets and a drunken-driving incident.

Chao Xiong