The reason that Albemarle County election officials pushed registrar Lauren Eddy to resign last month is that they suspect her of using county-issued purchasing cards, known as P-cards, to make private purchases including YouTube videos and car rentals.
The allegations were revealed in a pair of search warrants filed Tuesday.
“Both cards are for use of county funds entrusted to employees in order to facilitate the performance of their duties in their official capacity as Albemarle County employees,” wrote Albemarle police detective Daniel Carroll. “They are for business expenses only.”
However, Carroll asserted that county officials found the cards issued to Eddy had been used to watch YouTube videos and obtain the use of motor vehicles from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
“There is no legitimate business need for her to purchase a rental vehicle inside the county, as the county provides pool vehicles for employee use,” Carroll wrote in an affidavit.
That was the rationale for filing a search warrant on Aug. 29 on Enterprise, which is based in St. Louis, Missouri.
“A search of Enterprise records will confirm who purchased the rental vehicles, and the location of the purchase and return of said vehicles and may reveal further avenues of investigation,” he wrote.
The other search warrant on file in Albemarle Circuit Court was filed the same day on Mountain View, California-based Google for YouTube records. The county’s chief financial officer, Jacob Sumner, is listed as a cooperating victim’s representative.
“Mr. Sumner stated as chief financial officer that there is no known legitimate business need for her to purchase Google YouTube TV using county funds,” the detective wrote.
Eddy’s Aug. 12 resignation appears to have occurred under duress, as it came the day after an emergency meeting of the Albemarle Electoral Board.
“The General Registrar is currently the subject of an investigation and is on administrative leave,” according to that meeting’s minutes. “There is no further information available at this time.”
Notice of Eddy’s resignation was followed by notices from elections manager Erin Davis and chief deputy registrar Jeania Pace that they too would be stepping down as well. Albemarle police spokeswoman Logan Bogert previously told The Daily Progress neither is under investigation. It is unclear when they will be replaced, as the registrar is the hiring authority for both positions.
It is not an ideal time to lose a registrar, as the Nov. 4 election — in which Virginia’s governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and all of its 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election — is just months away. Early in-person voting begins Sept. 19.
Electoral Board Chair Clara Belle Wheeler previously told The Daily Progress there is no expectation of any difficulties conducting this year’s elections and that the registrar’s office has been meeting its deadlines.
“The board and staff will work together to ensure the people of Albemarle County will have free, fair, safe and legal elections,” she said.
The Albemarle Electoral Board has another meeting slated for Monday.
“This is an additional Electoral Board meeting to prepare for the upcoming general election and to address personnel matters,” according to the published agenda.
Eddy has not been charged with a crime.
The Daily Progress’ efforts to reach her via email and telephone were not successful.
The University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce Foundation at the University of Virginia recently accused an administrator of charging over $20,000 in personal purchases on foundation-issued charge cards. Yvonne Elizabeth Hillman, 37, pleaded guilty to embezzlement last month and received a suspended sentence.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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