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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 11, 2005 Ashland woman jailed for stealing from state By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Stealing from the state’s Department of Human Services via fraudulent claims for child care has landed an Ashland woman in jail. Laurie Kathryn Stober, 45, of the 900 block of Hiawatha Place, was sentenced Monday to 20 days in jail after pleading guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to four counts of first-degree theft, a felony. Circuit Court Judge Bill Purdy ordered her to repay more than $14,000 stolen from DHS between 1999 and 2003. Stober routinely filled out DHS vouchers for state-subsidized child care available to low-income families, said Beth Heckert, chief deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Stober claimed her 24- year-old stepdaughter was baby-sitting her two children and received DHS checks made out to the other woman at her residence, Heckert said. Under the DHS program, family members can act as legitimate care providers, Heckert added. Forging her stepdaughter’s signature and signing checks over to herself, Stober cashed 32 DHS checks ranging from $200 to $600, Heckert said. When the Internal Revenue Service queried Stober’s stepdaughter on why she wasn’t reporting income from DHS, the woman said she didn’t baby-sit for Stober and had received no payments, Heckert said. DHS internal investigators alerted the District Attorney’s Office in March 2004. "You don’t accidentally report that someone else did your child care for you," Heckert said. Advertisement Stober denied the theft, but Oregon State Police forensic analysts — using handwriting comparison — determined it was "highly probable" Stober filled out the suspect vouchers and signed DHS checks, Heckert said. The stepdaughter was eliminated as a suspect through handwriting comparison, Heckert said. Indicted in May last year, Stober has spent no time in jail. In addition to Monday’s jail sentence, she must spend a year and a half on probation. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Ashland woman jailed for stealing from state ">[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 www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s