The Newberg Graphic Online

Carlton woman arrested for embezzling from Newberg store

Public safety -- Police say losses so far amount to more than $110,000

• By: Laurent Bonczijk  
• Published: 2/5/2010 12:27:50 PM

Photo courtesy of Yamhill County Sheriff's Office
Lepley

   A Carlton woman was arrested Thursday on charges she embezzled more than $110,000 from Johnson Furniture in Newberg.
   Donna Jean Lepley, 58, of 454 W. Main St. in Carlton, was charged with eight counts of aggravated first-degree theft, seven counts of first-degree theft, 15 counts of computer crime felony, 15 counts of identity theft, 11 counts of first-degree forgery and four counts of second-degree forgery.
   Sgt. Tim Weaver of the Newberg-Dundee Police Department said that owner Leonard Johnson notified police Dec. 10 that he suspected something wasn’t right with the bookkeeping.
   “We’re still under investigation,” Weaver said, but so far detectives from the department have reviewed transactions dating back to February 2007 and found more than $110,000 missing. “It took a lot of time to go back through and find out how she did it.”
   Lepley was in charge of business transactions, payroll and financial records. “It’s probably going to go higher,” Weaver said of the fraud.
   “She needed money,” he said, adding that police suspects she may have had a gambling habit. “Other than that we don’t really know (of a motive).”
   Weaver said that balance sheets at the store seemed to add up and that it wasn’t until closer inspection that Leonard Johnson became suspicious there might be fraud.

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