Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1993 TAG: 9310200203
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Lucy Mae Barlow, 49, said she took cash from a safe on a regular basis over a two-year span, until the scheme was discovered in March.
Barlow testified that she stole the money with the knowledge - and sometimes the assistance - of her boss.
Former head cashier Patricia Willis is also charged with embezzling $900 from the office. Willis had been scheduled to face a jury trial Tuesday, but the case was postponed until December.
The scheme that went undetected for two years was not a sophisticated one, prosecutors said. Barlow said she would place a personal check for cash in the safe, take out the money, then remove the check later.
She used the same check repeatedly - occasionally using white correction fluid to change the amount.
Barlow testified that Willis told her how to take the money. "She said we could get in a lot of trouble for doing it," Barlow said.
The embezzlement was discovered during an outside check by the municipal auditor, called in after questions arose from a January concert. The missing money was from ticket sales and operating expenses at the box office.
City officials have said several bookkeeping changes have been made since the shortage was discovered, including more-frequent audits of the office.
Both Willis and Barlow resigned shortly after they were charged in April. Since then, Barlow has repaid all the money she was accused of taking, according to Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Greg Phillips.
After Barlow pleaded guilty in Roanoke Circuit Court, Judge Kenneth Trabue said he had heard sufficient evidence to support a conviction of embezzlement.
But at the request of Barlow's attorney, Trabue delayed a finding of Barlow's guilt until she is sentenced next month. She faces up to 20 years in prison.
by CNB