A Brian Bemis executive was arrested Friday after an internal investigation found he allegedly stole $500,000 from the company over a three-year period, DeKalb Police said.

David A. Painter, 48, of Sycamore, was arrested Friday after a traffic stop in Sycamore.

Painter, who was the chief financial officer for the Brian Bemis Automotive Group, was charged with theft, a Class 1 felony. He was later released from DeKalb County Jail Saturday after posting 10 percent of his $50,000 bond.

Painter’s arrest came after a search of his Sycamore home Friday where evidence from the case was seized, said DeKalb Police Lt. Gary Spangler. The DeKalb Police were originally contacted by Brian Bemis Feb. 24 after an internal investigation by the company, Spangler said.

“They discovered the theft several weeks before we got involved and conducted an internal investigation before contacting us,” Spangler said.

Spangler couldn’t comment on what evidence was found at Painter’s house or specific details of the charges, but said as the chief financial officer, Painter had access to the company’s finances.

Amy Bemis, director of business development for the automotive group, declined to comment on the arrest in a phone interview Monday afternoon and said the company had no comment at this time.