MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Former Berkeley County Deputy Clerk Melissa Joanna Beavers pleaded not guilty to all 41 counts lodged against her, including embezzlement, forgery, and falsifying accounts.
Beavers was arraigned in front of 23rd Judicial Circuit Court Judge R. Steven Redding Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege Beavers forged nine checks from the county clerk’s office to a business, Beavers Roof Repair, between December 18th, 2019 and January 16th of 2021.
The indictments allege Beavers forged the name of her ex-husband on multiple documents related to their divorce and child custody, and that she used a notary stamp belonging to Notary Public Erin C. Dunn-Carey. The final charge alleges she forged former Family Court Judge Sally Jackson’s digital signature on a court order.
In total, the amount of money represented from the 41-count indictment is $272,080.00
Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Catie Wilkes-Delligatti says Beavers is on home confinement on a $10,000 cash surety bond and a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
Beaver’s defense attorney, Craig Manford said his client waived her right to a speedy trial, which would have seen her tried on the counts by late February.
Instead, Beavers will now face a jury trial March 27 -29, 2024 with a pretrial hearing set for March 11th.
Prosecutors allege Beavers embezzled as much as $145,000 between October 2019 and December 2022. There are nine counts of forgery totaling more than $127,000.
Berkeley County Clerk Tony Petrucci said Beavers hasn’t worked in the clerk’s office since this past January.
“Shortly after I took office, I discovered what appeared to be misuse of public funds coming into the County Clerk’s office.,” Petrucci said in a statement. “I immediately invited law enforcement and the State Auditor to investigate the matter.”
Petrucci said working with investigators he has made a number of changes in recent months in connection with how cash and deposits are handled in the office.
“I appreciate the assistance of the State Auditor’s office in identifying exactly what occurred, and how best to prevent it in
the future,” he said.
The Berkeley County Commission also released a statement following the indictments:
“In December 2022, Ms. Beavers left her position with the County Clerk’s office after the discovery that she had stolen a notary stamp of another County Clerk employee and forged the notary’s signature and other signatures on multiple documents in a court case,” the commission said. “Upon discovering this, County officials immediately notified the Martinsburg City Police and asked them to conduct an investigation.”
Specific charges against Beavers include:
Count One – Embezzlement, alleges that between October 17th of 2019 and December 22nd of 2022, Deputy Clerk Beavers embezzled as much as $145,000.00 from the Berkeley County Clerk’s Office.
–One count of falsifying accounts “with intent to conceal the true state of any account or defraud the county or with the intent to enable or assist any person to obtain money to which she was not entitled.”
–Nine Counts of Forgery to the tune of $127,080.00
–Nine counts of Uttering, which involved writing checks from the County Clerk’s office to “Beavers Roof Repair”
–Twenty counts forgery of a public record. The allegations state that Beavers signed the name of Daniel Beavers, Jr., her now ex-husband, on documents related to their divorce, child support, and parenting plan. The indictment alleges Beavers forged the signature of
–One count of keeping or concealing an instrument for forging the signature of Notary Public Erin C. Dunn-Carey on documents.
–Count 40 “Keeping or Concealing an Instrument for Forging” alleges Beavers concealed and used an ex-Berkeley County Deputy Clerk’s notary stamp (issued to Erin C. Dunn-Carey) “for her own personal use.”
–Count 41 “Forgery of a Public Record,” alleges Beavers forged former Family Court Judge Sally Jackson’s digital signature on a Berkeley County Court Order “Order from December 8th, 2022”
In total, the amount of money represented from the 41-count indictment is $272,080.00
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