Woman charged with stealing $38,000 from two Cloverdale groups takes plea agreement

A 46-year-old Clover-dale woman charged with stealing more than $38,000 from two area organizations pleaded guilty to forgery Thursday in Putnam Circuit Court.

With several members of the Stardust Hill Owners Association and Cloverdale Main Street organizations looking on from the courtroom gallery, Kimberly A. Wright agreed to a change of plea in the theft and forgery case.

Wright pleaded guilty to forgery, a Class C felony, which carries an advisory sentence of four years in prison. Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter said the plea deal also calls for Wright to make full restitution to the two organizations.

Wright will be back in court at 10 a.m. March 2 for Judge Matthew Headley to determine sentencing.

Alleged to have taken an estimated $38,121.85 from the Stardust Hills and Main Street groups, Wright originally faced two counts of theft, a Class D felony, along with the forgery charge.

The thefts reportedly occurred during the period Feb. 1, 2007 to Feb. 1, 2012.

The defendant served as office manager of the Stardust Hills Owners Association from February 2006 until mid-February 2012. Dates of her tenure as treasurer for Cloverdale Main Street, however, were not specified.

Authorities discovered that Wright took approximately $33,000 for personal use while serving as office manager for Stardust Hills Owners Association. She has also admitted responsibility for taking an estimated $5,000 from Cloverdale Main Street while serving as its treasurer.

Wright was arrested by officers from the Indiana State Police Special Investigation Section last March 7 at a Cloverdale business unrelated to the crimes.

The investigation commenced Feb. 9, 2012 after the board of the Stardust Hills group contacted the Prosecutor's Office requesting assistance with a possible theft.

Stardust Hills board members noticed discrepancies in financial records presented by Wright during a February 2012 board meeting. The most glaring among them was the checking account balance for January 2012.

At the start of that month, the balance of the Stardust Hills Owners Association checking account was approximately $19,000. By the end of that January, the balance had inexplicably dropped to $1,300.

The board demanded an explanation from Wright, who could not supply one, investigators said.

During a subsequent interview with police, Wright admitted making "several poor decisions" regarding purchases made with credit cards and checks entrusted to her.

She admitted using credit cards and checks under her control to fund such expenditures as Christmas gifts, gift cards, her mortgage, her residential electric bill, her cell phone bill, clothing, school supplies, a microwave oven, a camera, a Kindle reader, two computer routers, cleaning supplies and food.