Judge finds probable cause in $143K Home Depot theft

JONESBOROUGH — A Kingsport man accused of stealing more than $143,000 from Home Depot while being employed by the company appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday. 43-year-old John Edward Lim who made a $50,000 bond, is being charged with one count of theft of property valued at more than $60,000. Washington County General Sessions Judge Johnathan Minga said there is probable cause for Lim's existing charges after the conclusion of the preliminary hearing. Two witnesses were called to the stand and questioned by the prosecutor and defense lawyers. The complainant Austen Brennan and Johnson City Police Department Investigator Jared Wheeler both gave statements at the hearing. Brennan compiled a spreadsheet of more than 100 transactions Lim allegedly made for refunds without returning the items. An internal investigation at Home Depot determined Lim made a total of $143,766.65 in transactions between March 2021 and April 2026. Less than $9,000 of the transactions were caught on surveillance camera between January and April of this year. Brennan stated he conducted an hour-long interview with Lim where he admitted to some of the transactions listed on the spreadsheet, but not all of them. Additionally, Lim did not state a total amount he believes he has bought with his Home Depot credit card for falsely refunded items. Wheeler said the JCPD received consent from Lim and his wife to search their residence with the agreement that he was present, and he was able to speak with his wife beforehand. During the search, Wheeler said Lim led officers through the house and pointed at all of the purchases in which he made returns for. Wheeler presented a list with 48 lines containing more than one item on each line that JCPD confiscated from Lim's home. He said this included space heaters, tools and toolboxes, a robot vacuum, two nightstands, chairs, an above ground pool, an outdoor shed and more totaling to approximately $14,000. Investigators also said they found a social media account where Lim was allegedly selling items. The JCPD did not confiscate or investigate any items Lim did not point to or verbally say was a transaction. Lim will reappear in court on Oct. 1 at 9 a.m. in the George P. Jaynes Justice Center where a grand jury will make its decision.