Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 20, 1992                   TAG: 9203200359
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY BUSINESS WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

REALTORS SUSPECT THEFT

"There is a theft and we are upset," said Betty Kirkland, one of eight partners at the 19-year-old corporation.

She said the amount of money involved hasn't been determined, but is "in the thousands" of dollars.

Kirkland said the missing money involves day-to-day operation of the company and not transactions with clients.

"No client money is missing," she said. "The financial stability of the company is not threatened."

Roanoke County Detective David Wells said he was contacted by the company in early March. He said his investigation centers on a former employee and covers the person's tenure with the corporation, about two years. Partners and the corporation's agents are not involved, he said.

Wells said his research should be finished in about two weeks and he and the realty corporation will decide then if charges are to be filed.

Kirkland said partners became suspicious about some bookkeeping procedures after the end of the year when they didn't get some expected reports. She did not identify the nature of the reports.