Collier: Ex-worker to face charges

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:03 PM EST article source

Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B Collier Jr. said charges would be filed against a former county employee who allegedly stole more than $25,000 from the treasurer’s office.

Rae-Lyn Robinson, of Perry Township, is no longer employed by the county but has not yet been charged with any crime. She was terminated late last year after it was discovered she was allegedly pocketing property tax payments that were brought into the office.

Collier was adamant that charges would be filed once it is determined exactly how much money had been taken, a process that may take until after the tax bill deadline in March. County Treasurer Stephen Dale Burcham said the current amount believed to have been stolen is approximately $26,000.

The prosecutor said Robinson has been forthcoming with information about this situation, cooperative with investigators and has made restitution for most of the amount that was allegedly stolen.

“This is public money and a public office,” Collier said. “We certainly do need to address this. It will be addressed and addressed appropriately.”

Because Robinson is the granddaughter of Lawrence County Auditor Ray T. Dutey, some have suggested this issue is being covered up, a notion that Collier and Dutey dismissed as ridiculous and untrue.

Collier said this case has not been handled any differently than any other, adding that his office was made aware of the incident some time ago and has been in contact with Burcham, Robinson and others.

“No one is getting any special treatment. We didn’t broadcast it, but we didn’t keep it a secret either,” Collier said. “We plan to pursue this.”

Dutey echoed those sentiments, adding that he did offer his granddaughter some financial assistance to help her make reparations — something Dutey said he believes any grandfather would do — but did nothing to affect the investigation or influence how this case would be handled.

“I haven’t had any involvement in this,” he said. “I have never once talked to the prosecutor about this.”

Ironton attorney D.L. McWhorter is representing Robinson in this case but said it would be a little premature to comment on the specifics.

“Until something is filed and we know what it is, there is not a whole lot for me to comment on,” he said. “They have been looking at this for a while and the investigation has been pretty thorough.”

Burcham said his office has done everything it can to assist the prosecutor and ensure that this problem is rectified.

“We had put in place certain procedures of internal controls that didn’t exist prior to me taking office,” Burcham said. “When these procedures caught her, she was terminated and the information was turned over to the prosecutor.”

The treasurer emphasized that all property owners or business owners who were affected have been credited with the appropriate dollar amounts and will not be charged interest and penalties.

Burcham said the changes that were implemented last year include eliminating a single cash drawer that multiple people access, using a software system that requires individual logins and holding employees accountable for funds in their own cash drawer.

The treasurer said that more than half of the money allegedly stolen has been paid back and he is under the impression that the rest will be repaid in the near future. Burcham also added that the Auditor of State is aware of the situation, will continue to monitor it and has verbally told him that it appears his office handled the situation correctly.