Charges of embezzlement have reared their ugly head once again. This time in Hartford Township of Van Buren County where the longtime Cemetery Sexton has been charged in a case involving potentially as much as $100,000 that has turned up missing over a five year period of time.
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott says that 61 year old Gerrie Lee Heskett was arraigned on embezzlement charges stemming from an investigation that looked at records from January of 2011 through December of 2016.
Abbott says that his Criminal Investigations Division began an investigation, at the request of the Hartford Township Board, into alleged missing funds that were the responsibility of Heskett, who had served the cemetery system there for many years.
A forensic auditor assisted the Sheriff’s office with the investigation of Hartford Township’s financial and bookkeeping documents along with evidence collected by law enforcement on several search warrants executed in relation to the investigation.
Abbott tells us that the investigative report was turned over to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office for review, and that office did authorize this week charges on Heskett for “embezzlement between the amounts of $50,000 and $100,000.”
Abbott and Detective Lieutenant Thomas Macyauski say that the actual amount of the theft and/or misappropriation of funds discovered during the investigation is not being released at this time.
Heskett appeared in South Haven District Court yesterday, Wednesday June 14th, 2017, and was arraigned on the embezzlement charge, and her next appearance date on the charge is July 5th, 2017 at 1:00pm in South Haven District Court.
The Sheriff says that anyone with information regarding the investigation or embezzlement can contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 657-3101, Crime Stoppers 1-800-342-7867, Silent Observer (269) 343-2100 or their local Police Department.
