By MAIRE O’NEILLLos Alamos Daily Post
Tabatha Jones of White Rock waived her preliminary hearing Friday in Los Alamos Magistrate Court on a charge of embezzling more than $2,500 and less than $20,000 from the non-profit Los Alamos Youth Football and Cheerleading League (LAYFCL).
The charge is a third-degree felony, which carries a possible penalty of three years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.
In return for a plea agreement, Deputy District Attorney Kent Wahlquist and Jones’ attorney David Gower told the court that an arraignment and plea hearing would take place in First Judicial District Court in January. Terms of the plea agreement were not discussed in open court, but a later search of court records revealed that Wahlquist has agreed to a conditional discharge, three years of probation, with that probation to end early upon full payment of restitution not to exceed $5,680. The agreement is still subject to review in District Court.
That $5,680 amount is the original amount from the statement of probable cause filed by Los Alamos Police Det. Ryan Wolking following his interview with Jones, plus additional stolen funds more recently discovered by Wolking.
Court documents indicate Jones admitted to spending the League’s money on makeup products, groceries, Amazon purchases and jewelry. The documents state that from January 2016 through August 2017, Jones was the only person in charge of the League’s finances and the only person to access its bank account. At some point, Jones allegedly added a friend to the account, but she maintained control. When board members began asking questions about money, according to the report, Jones allegedly closed the bank account and opened another at a different bank.
No date has been set yet for the District Court Hearing.
