Woman makes initial appearance in library theft

An employee accused of stealing more than $15,300 from the Superior Public Library made an initial appearance in Douglas County Circuit Court on Thursday.

Nancy Catherine Roulston, 51, of South Rand pleaded not guilty to two felony charges — theft over $10,000 in a business setting and misconduct by a public employee — in front of Court Commissioner Paul Baxter.

Roulston was arrested Friday after a nearly two-month investigation by the Superior Police Department.

Police launched the investigation March 31 after a surprise visit by the city’s Finance Department. Cash deposits from the library were significantly lower in 2007 than in previous years, and Roulston was the only person at the library with regular access to the money, according to the criminal complaint.

Finance Director Jean Vito had been notified of concerns Library Director Janet Jennings had concerning Roulston’s handling of the cash. Calls from creditors and missed days of work were clues to Jennings that Roulston may have been having financial problems, according to the complaint.

When Vito made a surprise inspection of the library on March 31, Roulston seemed surprised. She showed Vito the different areas of the library where money was taken in — the front counter, two copiers and the Internet area.

When questioned about the drop in revenue, Roulston told Vito she had not deposited all of the 2007 funds because she had been very busy, the complaint stated. She brought money and checks in from the vault, but the checks were marked 2008. Roulston then told Vito, “Okay, I did it! I took the money,” according to the complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Jennings told police that when she looked at the 2007 fiscal report in December, she noticed the library was short about $22,000. An independent report showed the amount of money missing was $15,317.88 based on library receipts and copier usage.

Roulston, who’s employment with the city ends today, worked at the library for 22 years. The city reached an agreement with her last week that calls for a combination of unused paid leave, banked health insurance benefits and more than $2,900 in cash to reimburse the city its losses.

She remains free on a $15,000 signature bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 18. If convicted, she faces combined penalties of up to 13 years and six months imprisonment and fines of up to $35,000.

Tags: city, library, theft, roulston