By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
A Berne woman has entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of theft, a level five felony, in connection with an alleged theft of funds from a company in that community.
Janice Ruth Bedford, 58, entered the plea in Adams Circuit Court. She is represented by Berne attorney Eric Orr.
An August 23 trial date was scheduled, but that is only a routine function of the court.
Bedford is alleged to have stolen $204,912.78 from New Look Exteriors. Owner Matt Stoll brought the matter to the attention of the Adams County Sheriff’s Department which, after investigation, arrested Bedford and took her to jail.
She is currently free on bond.
The charge was filed by the Adams County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to its affidavit, Stoll said that in January he provided Bedford, a bookkeeper for New Look, with $15,000 to pay off some debt, telling her that it was a loan.
Stoll says that Bedford printed the firm’s credit card and bank statements and began highlighting transactions she used for herself instead of New Look.
She also allegedly used the information to set up a PayPal account for her own use.
Bedford appears to have been the victim of an online scam. She says in the affidavit that a supposed Switzerland man was sending her items which she paid him for, noting that after the first package had her name and address on it, she believed she had to pay.
It went on from there. Bedford says in the affidavit that she maxed out her credit cards to $100,000, had spent some $30,000 from her savings account, and taken out two personal loans, for $17,000 and $13,000.
She claimed, too, to have taken a $5,000 loan from her 401(k) account.
Bedford told the sheriff’s department that she used Stoll’s checking account to pay off many of her debts.
According to evidence, Stoll’s New Look Exteriors firm was defrauded a total of $204,912.78.
According to the affidavit, Bedford admitted to using Stoll’s credit cards to pay for “things.”
The affidavit says Bedford told the investigating officer, Ty Hanni of the sheriff’s department, “Yes, I took Matt’s money.”
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