COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a former employee at a Cobb County Home Depot gave contractors $18,000 in stolen merchandise.

Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell learned that Orin Turner, who was fired from Home Depot, and Julius Peterson met outside of the store on Cumberland Parkway eight times to load stolen merchandise into Peterson’s truck.

Investigators say Turner told them that he pocketed about $400 per order.

The merchandise ranged from gallons of paint to cases of porcelain tile to pallets of drywall to more.

Peterson told police that he received the orders from Turner and then delivered them to contractors in exchange for cash.

Wali Sabir has been a contractor for more than 50 years. He says retail thefts make it difficult for hard-working people.

“It’s not right, first of all,” Sabir said. “People really don’t understand that everybody pays more when those kinds of things happen.”

Court documents show an internal investigation by Home Depot’s retail crime investigator discovered Turner loading Peterson’s truck and trailer as if he was a paying customer, sometimes even using a forklift.

Both men are facing a long list of charges.

Newell went to Turner’s house to get his side of the story. A woman told him she knows Turner, but says he moved out.

She also contacted Peterson, but has not heard back.