Woman accused of stealing from Clinton employer

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By Steven Martens | Thursday, August 28, 2008 7:29 PM CDT | () comments

CLINTON, Iowa — Jeff Crigger, owner of Dependable Drain & Plumbing in Clinton, puts his service technicians through background checks before he allows them to go into the homes of clients.

He now wishes he had put his former office manager through a background check, too.

If he had, Crigger might have learned that Melinda Ann Shaw, 30, of Clinton, who was arrested Wednesday and charged with stealing nearly $70,000 from Crigger’s personal and business funds, pleaded guilty to similar charges in Scott County in 2003.

Shaw pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree theft and forgery after she was charged with stealing more than $63,000 from American Eagle Home Improvement Four Seasons Sunrooms in Davenport.

She received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay restitution. Crigger said some of the unauthorized credit card charges from his business were used to make payments to the Scott County Clerk of Court office.

She owed $67,000 in restitution in Scott County, plus court costs and fines, for a total of $72,040. She has paid $26,475, so she still owes $45,565, according to court records.

Shaw was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree theft, identity theft and unauthorized use of a credit card for allegedly using a company credit card, writing checks from the business checking account to pay the credit card bills, writing checks to herself from the business accounts and stealing cash from the office, according to court records.

Shaw worked for Crigger for almost three years and had become a personal friend, Crigger said. He said their families would sometimes spend holidays together, and he trusted her completely to look after the best interests of his small business.

“That’s like letting the fox in the henhouse,” he said.

Crigger said he became suspicious last month when he received a call from his bank informing him that his checking account was overdrawn by $11,000. He then notified the police.

During an interview Wednesday with the Clinton Police Department, Shaw admitted she had taken the money, according to court records.

While Crigger said his business will survive, he feels “100 percent betrayed.”

Shaw was being held Thursday in the Clinton County Jail on $25,000 bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 5. If convicted, Shaw faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.