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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 13, 2005 Booster treasurer to appear in court By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — The longtime treasurer of the Greater Shady Cove Boosters Inc. is set to be arraigned today on charges that he stole about $6,000 from the nonprofit group. Bruce Jan Mayben, 60, of Shady Cove, was indicted in December on a charge of first-degree theft and three counts of creating false business records, Jackson County Circuit Court records showed. The charges followed investigations by the Shady Cove Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Oregon Department of Justice charitable activities division. Questions about financial management of the beautification group arose last spring, said Jackson County Sheriff’s Detective Colin Fagan. Mayben, who had been the Boosters’ treasurer for more than seven years, had exclusive control over the finances, Fagan said. That’s a violation of the agency’s bylaws and state requirements. Advertisement When new board President Geri Worley asked to review bank statements and to increase the number of signatures required for transactions, Mayben grew evasive, Fagan said. He offered board members Washington Mutual statements that bank officials later said were fabricated, Fagan said. When Worley asked bank staffers for financial records, the amount in the account turned out to be far less than Mayben indicated to the board. Worley, 62, of Shady Cove, said she reluctantly informed police about the alleged problems. "With it being the law that the booster club board could be liable, there was no other choice," she said. "I’m very, very sad about it. I didn’t want to do it." Worley, who retired from the legal field, moved to Shady Cove from Southern California in 2000. She acknowledged that reporting the alleged embezzlement has divided the close-knit town of 2,300. "He has a lot of friends ...," Worley said Wednesday. "They all hate me." Mayben has repaid about $6,000 to the group, Worley said. The agency’s income, about $8,000 a year, consists of $5 annual membership fees and local donations. Because the Boosters conducted many transactions with cash, it’s hard to tell how much money may actually have gone missing, Fagan said. Mayben didn’t return a call to the Mail Tribune Wednesday. Worley said she offered to step down as president of the 60-member group that typically hosts river cleanup parties and community barbecues. Other members asked her to remain, she said. "It has not been good," she said. "I’m not proud of doing it and I know it has hurt the Boosters." But Fagan praised Worley for bringing the problem to light. "Ms. Worley should be commended for doing the right thing when the right thing was hard to do," he said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers