Former Head Of Oregon Halfway House Pleads Not Guilty To Charges She Embezzled $213K

Laura Marie Edwards, 39, currently of Providence, Rhode Island, but formerly of Multnomah County, Oregon, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges she embezzled  $213,787 from the Oregon Halfway House for which she had served as executive director.  According to authorities, Edwards skimmed the funds from the federal facility over a period of about 3 years, from 2007 to 2010.  Edwards reportedly skipped a June 27 court appearance, turning up at a Rhode Island hospital after an apparent attempted suicide.  According to reports, the internal investigation also determined that Edwards has embezzled from a California halfway house.  The specific method of embezzlement has not been revealed.

Read the story here, here and here.