Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 6, 1994 TAG: 9401060057
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Edward A. Campbell, 30, pleaded guilty in Pulaski County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon. He was indicted last September on 10 counts of grand larceny and nine charges of forgery.
Judge Dow Owens accepted a plea agreement reached by Campbell and his attorney, Dick Davis of Radford, with special prosecutor Willard Lester of Wytheville.
Owen imposed a five-year suspended prison sentence and placed Campbell on probation for two years. Campbell will also have to make about $11,000 in restitution within 30 days. Campbell resigned as captain last May and quit his job as a deputy with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office in July.
Davis said that Lester, in offering the plea agreement, had taken into account Campbell's past contributions to his community.
An investigation of missing money began in May when the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors began trying to determine how the county's Life Saving Crew ended up with thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.
The supervisors became aware of the problem when the bank that handles the squad's account approached them about the situation. The supervisors advanced $15,000 to the organization to cover its debts.
The grand larceny indictments allege that Campbell stole money from the crew between December 1992 and April 28.
The forgery indictments allege that Campbell received money by forging six checks totalling more than $8,000 made payable to him and endorsed with the names of Tricia B. Campbell, his wife who was carrying out the duties of treasurer for the crew, and Fred Gravley, a lieutenant with the crew.
Three of the forgery indictments involved checks endorsed with the names Edward Campbell and Gravley: $1,140 on Jan. 25 to Edward Campbell; $400 to AT&T Credit Union on April 27; and $630 to Travelmasters, a Blacksburg travel agency, on April 28.
by CNB