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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, April 22, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 15, 2003 Former Bear Creek employee faces theft charge By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A former employee of Bear Creek Corp. has been accused of going on an illicit shopping spree with her company credit card. Sandra Dawn Palmer, 40, of the 1300 block of Hawthorne Way, Central Point, has been indicted on a charge of first-degree aggravated theft. She will hear the charges against her in Jackson County Circuit Court on May 29 at 9 a.m. The hearing has been postponed several times this month. The former manager of Bear Creek’s wholesale department, Palmer charged $85,000 in unauthorized purchases to her corporate Visa card over the course of her two-year employment, investigators said. Palmer purchased the majority of unauthorized items from Medford businesses but also shopped over the Internet and by mail-order, police said. Shortly after she was hired in October 2000 as an executive assistant in Bear Creek’s Internet department, Palmer used the card to purchase Harry and David products for family and friends via the company’s Web site, investigators said. The company issued Palmer’s card to buy clerical supplies, items for office parties and flowers, she told police. Advertisement Medford police Detective Sue Campbell said she believed that Bear Creek’s loss prevention specialists uncovered the theft during a routine audit. The police investigation started in January. "I kind of get the impression it might have slipped through the cracks at some point," Campbell said. Bear Creek’s public relations spokesman refused to comment on the investigation or Palmer’s tenure at the company. Palmer told detectives that she believed she had only charged $15,000 to the card and intended to pay it back. A Medford resident since 1993, Palmer was promoted to manager of Bear Creek’s wholesale department in April 2002. She reportedly was earning a $42,000 yearly salary. "I think in a lot of cases, you spend more than you make, and it’s just a lifestyle you can’t afford," Campbell said. In an unrelated case, Palmer pleaded guilty in Jackson County to a charge of third-degree theft in March 2000. She completed a diversion program, and the theft charge was dismissed about a month before she was hired at Bear Creek. If convicted of the aggravated theft charge, Palmer could spend a up to 10 years in prison or pay a $200,000 fine. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s