ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, June 24, 1996 TAG: 9606240082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: STAUNTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
A former treasurer of the Verona Volunteer Fire Department has pleaded guilty to one count of cashing a forged department check for $700 last year and has been sentenced to three years' probation.
Donnie Wayne Brooks, 46, of Verona also was ordered Friday to repay $2,517.63 to the department and return telephones he took from the fire house.
Brooks had been indicted by a grand jury on one count of embezzlement and one count of forging the check. One fire company official claimed the losses to the department were as high as $25,000.
As part of a plea agreement, Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney Lee Ervin dropped two counts of stealing from the nonprofit fire company.
Circuit Judge Thomas Wood sentenced Brooks to three years in prison, but will allow Brooks to serve all of the time in unsupervised probation. Brooks faced a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Brooks pleaded guilty to cashing the check from the company's bingo account on April 27, 1995. Bingo games are one of the ways the company raises money for fire protection.
Brooks no longer belongs to the fire department and was removed from office after the losses were discovered last year.
LENGTH: Short : 34 linesby CNB