Retired Sheriff’s clerk suspected of stealing over $50K in agency funds

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - A retired Riverside County Sheriff's Department clerk suspected of filching more than $50,000 from the agency was released from custody today after posting bail.

The suspect, a 51-year-old Jurupa Valley woman, was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail on Tuesday on suspicion of misappropriation of funds, embezzlement by a public officer, forgery and grand theft. She posted an unspecified bond overnight and was let out of the downtown Riverside jail.

She is tentatively slated to make an initial court appearance in early September, depending on when the District Attorney's Office completes its review of the case and decides whether to prosecute.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Perez, in mid-March, the Special Investigations Bureau initiated a probe of the suspect's on-the-job activity after uncovering evidence of alleged misuse of agency money.

She had been a supervising court services clerk for the department, where she started working in April 1998. She most recently served in the Civil Division Courts-West branch. However, she retired from her position last month, according to Perez.

He alleged detectives ultimately confirmed instances in which the suspect "knowingly misappropriated $54,000 in county funds'' over an unspecified period of time.

How the alleged thefts were perpetrated wasn't specified. Investigators alleged it was all for ``personal use.''   

An arrest warrant was procured and served Tuesday morning.   

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact the Special Investigations Bureau at 951-955-1700.