County shocked by treasurer's arrest - Offical Contest Rules

2
Community
News In
Focus
For the latest in... Community
News, Business News, Sports,
Engagements & Weddings,
Birth Announcements, Student
News, Letters to the Editor,
Calendar, Obituaries, and
Classifi ed Advertising read
The Goochland Gazette!
746-1235
Thursday
February 10, 2011
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
RECORD HIGH GOLD PRICES RECORD HIGH GOLD PRICES
Top CA$H Paid
$ Gold and Silver
GET CASH
TODAY FOR
HIGH UTILITY
BILLS!
ARMED
SECURITY
ON DUTY
We are a Virginia company with 20 licensed and
bonded locations in Virginia and a proud sponsor
of keeping your business right here in our state.
BRING GOLD - GET CA$H TODAY
Gold, Platinum, and Silver
chains, bracelets, rings and watches. We pay top dollar
for your estate, broken or unwanted inherited jewelry.
Dental gold, gold and silver coins.
We Test
& Weigh
In Front
of You
Sterling silverware, sterling tea sets.
Clean out your jewelry box and storage!
Every Thursday thru Sunday
10:00am - 6:00pm
$
GET YOUR
BEST WRITTEN
OFFER AND THEN
COME SEE US!
National Redemption
Visit NationalRedemption.com for a bonus coupon
Hilton Garden Inn
Innsbrook
4050 Cox Rd.
Glen Allen, VA 23060
(Exit 178B off I-64W near Short Pump)
Holiday Inn
Koger Center
10800 Midlothian Tnpk.
Richmond, VA 23235
(Between Chesterfi eld Towne Center & Johnston-Willis)
RSN
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Bring this ad for an extra $5 with your sale.
P.O. Box 1118, Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Toll Free (877) 888-0449 • email: news@goochlandgazette.com
For Advertising, email: sales@goochlandgazette.com
or classifi eds@goochlandgazette.com
Grubbs
GOVERNMENT: News and Events
continued from > page 1
By Thursday the state police
had begun their investigation,
searching Grubbs’ home
on Whitehall Road, while the
Sheriff’s Office seized materials
from the treasurer’s office.
At the time of her arrest,
Goochland Sheriff’s deputies
found Western Union receipts
indicating “the wiring of large
sums of money,” according to
the search warrant affidavit
issued for the search of the treasurer’s
office.
County employees have
assumed duties at the treasurer’s
office, while employees there
have taken administrative leave,
said Dickson last week, who was
quick to add that there was no
reason to believe any one else
was involved.
“The staff in the treasurer’s
office willingly took some
administrative leave to allow law
enforcement personnel complete
access to potential evidence,” said
Dickson.
Items recovered from
Grubbs’ residence included two
computers and electronic and
paper records.
Items taken from the treasurer’s
office included financial
documents, emails and a hospital
bill from Dubai.
Grubbs was first elected
treasurer in 2003, succeeding
Geraldine Parrish. Grubbs earned
$72,034 annually, according to a
2009 list of salaries provided to
the Gazette by the county.
Since that time, the county
has suffered a number of financial
embarrassments, leading to
the hiring of a new accounting
firm, KPMG, to conduct an audit
of the county’s finances. KPMG’s
report indicated the need for better
reporting procedures by the
treasurer’s office, but did not indicate
any wrongdoing.
KPMG noted in a January
3, 2011 letter to included in the
Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report presented to the Board of
Supervisors on Jan. 4 that the
treasurer’s office suffered from a
“lack of segregation of duties and
functioning controls.”
KPMG noted “Treasurer has
the ability to initiate, approve
and post wire transfers without
a secondary review and approval,
and Treasurer has access to post
entries to the general ledger system
and assists in the preparation
of cash reconciliations for certain
bank statements on a monthly
basis.”
In that same report, Deputy
County Administrator John
Wack noted that new written
policies had been put in place
relating to the treasurer’s office
after June 30, 2010.
Wack said Tuesday that it
is unknown if any alleged wire
transfers made by Grubbs came
from county accounts. He said
KPMG had planned to meet
with Grubbs to discuss new procedures
for wire transfers.
Want more? Visit us on the web at
www.goochlandgazette.com
Dickson sent a letter to
Grubbs Jan. 21 asking for more
cooperation on dealing with concerns
raised by KPMG.
Grubbs has not resigned
from her position as Goochland
Treasurer but a special
meeting of the Board of
Supervisors has been called
for Wednesday, Feb. 9 to discuss
the status of the treasurer
and the operation of the
Treasurer’s Office.
At the same time, a recall
petition may be in the works.
Goochland Republican
Committee chairman Ben
Slone said he plans to collect
enough signatures to present to
a judge to have Grubbs recalled.
He figures he needs 486, 10
percent of the votes Grubbs
received in her uncontested
2007 reelection.
“It’s a no-brainer,” said
Slone, who attended Grubbs’
Monday arraignment. “She’s
collecting a salary from the citizens.
The confession says it all.”
Photo by Jim Ridolphi
Goochland County Treasurer Brenda Grubbs leaves the courthouse area after her arraignment as TV cameramen attempt to get
her photo.