By Shereen Siewert
WAUSAU — A 56-year-old former Weston woman accused of stealing more than $37,000 from her employer has been bound over for trial.
Deborah Fletcher faces charges of theft in a business setting in Marathon County Circuit Court. During a preliminary hearing held Thursday, Oct. 31, Fletcher pleaded not guilty to the charge and was bound over for arraignment and trial by Circuit Judge Mike Moran.
Fletcher is the former manager of Stillwater Landing Mobile Home Park in Weston but has since moved to Marshfield. The case was filed in June 2018.
According to court filings, the owner of the property, who lives in British Columbia, first became suspicious of Fletcher in October 2017 when he had trouble accessing his online banking account information. When the victim finally was able to access his account, he noted more than $11,000 in unauthorized debit card withdrawals, usually taken at area casinos, police said.
Upon further investigation, the business owner discovered about $26,000 in unauthorized cash withdraws from his business checking account, police said. That’s when he confronted Fletcher, who allegedly admitted the theft in an email to her boss. Fletcher allegedly offered to repay the money, telling her boss that she was expecting a major child support settlement. But when repayment never materialized, the business owner called police and flew to Weston to meet with investigators. He fired Fletcher on March 20, 2018.
Fletcher, who has no prior criminal record in Wisconsin, faces up to 10 years in the Wisconsin Prison System along with a $25,000 fine if she is convicted on the charge.
Future court dates have not yet been set.
