Woodlee indicted for stealing $34K from utility district
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The defendant, Melissa Woodlee, was indicted recently on the charge of theft over $10,000 after an audit by the state Comptroller of Treasury discovered $34,163 in utility funds were missing.
The funds were reportedly snatched between 2000 and 2003 by the clerk who had served with the company for over 12 years.
“There were many people here who were really shocked,” said general manager Tim Pelham.
According to the audit report, Woodlee admitted diverting cash from the utility for her personal benefit. Specifically, Woodlee reportedly told investigators she would prepare a fake deposit slip which showed all collections and the slip would be placed in the utility’s files. She would then prepare a second slip which reflected the amount she actually deposited. The amounts ranged from $75 to $1,000 short of the actual collections.
Auditors said they found 69 separate occasions on which Woodlee failed to deposit the entire amount of actual proceeds. The auditors noted Woodlee had complete control of the bank deposit transactions and was able to conceal the thefts from management.
The crime for which Woodlee is charged is a Class C felony, punishable by three to six years in prison. However, a recent embezzlement case involving an Eastside School secretary who stole around $17,000, in a similar fashion, ended last week with the defendant receiving a three-year judicial diversion since she had no prior criminal record. Woodlee is free on bond awaiting trial.