Berkeley County cleaning woman accused of stealing money from bank

October 02, 2008|By MATTHEW UMSTEAD

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A Berkeley County woman under contract to clean the offices of BB&T near Inwood, W.Va., has been charged with stealing $30,000 from the bank last month while she and her 18-year-old daughter worked there, according to a police complaint filed in Berkeley County Magistrate Court.

Marion Margaret Dietrich, 46, of 389 Bluff Trail in Gerrardstown, W.Va., was arraigned Wednesday by Magistrate Joan V. Bragg on one felony count of grand larceny. Her daughter, Kristeen Dietrich, of the same address, was arraigned on one felony count of accessory after the fact grand larceny, according to court records.

Bragg set a $3,500 bond for both women, and West Virginia State Police Trooper J.M. Walker said Wednesday afternoon he did not object to the relatively low bond because he did not believe the women posed a flight risk.

A preliminary hearing was set for 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, according to Bragg.

Walker on Wednesday declined to elaborate on where the money was taken from inside the bank at 139 Hovatter Drive on the evening of Sept. 11.

The trooper said he was surprised to recover $18,654 of the stolen money from the women's home.

Walker said the money was discovered missing at some point after Sept. 11, after bank officials conducted an internal investigation.

A BB&T representative contacted Walker about filing a grand larceny complaint last week, according to the trooper's complaint.

In the complaint, Walker said Kristeen Dietrich told him that she saw her mother put the money into a (garbage) bag, which was then taken out of the building.

Kristeen Dietrich also indicated that her mother gave her some of the stolen money on a couple of occasions afterward, according to Walker's complaint.

When questioned, Marion Dietrich admitted to taking the money, Walker said in his complaint.

|

|

|