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Former Y manager indicted on theft By Jonel Aleccia A former Rogue Valley Family YMCA manager has been cited to appear in Jackson County Court on felony charges that she stole thousands of dollars in cash from the agency. Karen Jane Vezina, 38, of Jacksonville, will be arraigned Feb. 6 in Jackson County Circuit Court following an indictment returned Friday by a grand jury charging two counts of first-degree theft. The indictment alleges that Vezina stole cash amounting to at least $2,000 between April 1, 1999, and March 31, 2000. The grand jury heard testimony from Det. Terry Newell of the Medford Police Department and Liz Elder, a worker in the accounts payable department at the YMCA. First-degree theft is a Class C felony involving more than $750 and less than $10,000. Vezina was arrested Oct. 2 on a single theft charge after YMCA officials asked Medford police to investigate what appeared to be $6,000 to $7,000 in missing funds. Greg Applen, a YMCA board member, said Tuesday that the amount proved missing may be less, according to a Jackson County district attorney�s report to the board. "The DA�s office was able to prove $4,300 to $4,800 was lost," he said. "It all depends on how much the DA can prove." The YMCA board�s primary concern now is full restitution, Applen said. "We want to be made as whole as can be determined," he said. "It looks like we might get something out of this." Vezina, who worked at the YMCA for more than six years, was the agency�s second-highest administrator when she left in June to take a new job. She resigned her post with the state Justice Department�s Child Support Division within weeks of her arrest. The arrest came two days after YMCA officials asked Medford police to investigate allegations of embezzlement. Officials sought police help after initially declining to pursue apparently missing money revealed in an internal investigation. That reluctance stemmed from natural caution, Applen said. "We didn�t have a leg to stand on," he said. "We had some hearsay. You can�t be making accusations that you can�t back up. We didn�t want to get hung out to dry." Vezina�s attorney, Jeni Feinberg of Medford, did not return phone calls seeking comment Tuesday. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.