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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 13, 2005 Alleged ‘serial embezzler’ jailed By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune On paper, Hope Frost appeared to be perfect for the job. She was hired in May as Rock ’n’ Ready Mix’s company bookkeeper, and worked nearly five months at the Central Point business before her employers discovered an accounting discrepancy. A further check of company accounts showed more than $18,000 was missing, and Frost, 28, was fired in October. While the apparent thefts stunned Rock ’n’ Ready Mix managers, an even larger shock came when they found out Frost was a convicted embezzler from California. "We were quite surprised," said Bret Bartholomy, Rock ’n’ Ready Mix’s general manager. "(Frost) had some good experience listed on her resume, and the references we contacted all checked out. We didn’t have any reason to suspect anything." Following an investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Frost, of Central Point, was lodged Tuesday in the Jackson County Jail on felony charges of racketeering, first-degree theft, first-degree forgery and falsifying business records, in connection with the Rock ’n’ Ready Mix embezzlement case. She was being held on $84,000 bail, a jail spokeswoman said. Advertisement Besides being unaware of Frost’s previous theft convictions in California during the 1990s, police say Rock ’n’ Ready Mix managers were also kept in the dark about another embezzlement case involving Frost. Last August, Frost was granted probation after pleading guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to stealing more than $12,000 from Kawasaki & Honda of Medford, where she previously worked as a bookkeeper, sheriff’s Detective Colin Fagan said. "She is a serial embezzler," Fagan said. "I believe she found a variety of ways to take money from almost everyone she ever worked for. She was pretty clever in her methods of taking money." At Rock ’n’ Ready Mix, investigators say Frost wrote company checks to herself, stole cash from bank deposits and even gave herself a $2-per-hour pay raise. Fagan said investigators believe Frost made some restitution to the Kawasaki/Honda dealership with money taken from Rock ’n’ Ready Mix. On her own time, Frost also offered private bookkeeping services to small "mom and pop" businesses in Jackson and Josephine counties, Fagan said. Investigators are checking into whether those operations lost cash while Frost was employed. Additionally, detectives are trying to find if Frost embezzled from a local logging company where she was hired as a bookkeeper after being dismissed from Rock ’n’ Ready Mix, Fagan said. With incidents of embezzlement on the rise, police urge business owners to conduct background checks of prospective employees whose job duties involve money handling. "Most bookkeepers are good, honest people," Fagan said. "But one bad one can really get you." Anyone with information that can help the investigation is asked to phone the sheriff’s department at 774-6800. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, 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 www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s