Now former manager at Yard Birds David Briscoe appears in court for bail hearing this afternoon.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A manager at Yard Birds arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing as much as $30,000 from his employer over time told police he’d gone bankrupt and was getting behind in his medical bills.
David E. Briscoe, 58, was booked into the Lewis County Jail and charged with first-degree theft. He appeared before a judge this afternoon.
Defense attorney Bob Schroeter said the Centralia man worked at Yard Birds-Shop ‘n Kart for the past seven years, but is no longer employed there. “He has $19 in the bank,” Schroeter said.
Briscoe qualified for a court-appointed attorney.
Police say Briscoe was responsible for managing the business’s swap meet area, vendors, storage units and recreational vehicle spaces on the property at the 2100 block of North National Avenue in Chehalis.
They say he was collecting rents for the spaces and keeping the cash for himself, over a two to three year period.
According to charging documents, the alleged thefts came to light when one RV space tenant contacted the property manger TJ Guyer about relocating and staff there could not find a record for the woman.
The transactions were investigated by a loss prevention specialist hired by the business and a financial audit conducted by the owner on Friday turned up numerous discrepancies, according to charging documents.
Charging documents indicate Briscoe signed a statement for the loss prevention investigator estimating he may have taken as much as $30,000 and made a handwritten listing of instances he could recall amounting to $18,980.
When interviewed by Chehalis Police Department Officer Troy Thornburg, Briscoe said he believed he had taken somewhere around $24,000 over the past few years, the documents state.
He reportedly admitted to providing tenants with their rental receipt, then destroying his copy and keeping the cash. Briscoe explained to Thornburg he was bankrupt and falling behind on medical bills, charging documents state.
First-degree theft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and / or a $20,000 fine. Lewis County prosecutors attached a so-called aggravating factor that the crime is a major economic offense.
Lewis County District Court Judge R.W. Buzzard set his bail at $5,000.
Briscoe is expected to be arraigned on Thursday morning, in Lewis County Superior Court.
Yard Birds in Chehalis sits between North National and Northeast Kresky avenues.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I have known dave for about 3 years and in that time he has never acted (most don’t anyway) in anyway like someone that desperate for money. He should have just claimed bankruptcy and did it legal. he was always decent to others and had joined a.a. there. so let’s give the guy a little slack what do you say ya puke laura.
Let them Taser him for 45 seconds!
Yard Birds just auctioned off 2 storage units last Thursday for non payment. I hope that they really were not paid up or some feathers will fly.
Laura from what i’ve heard he wasn’t the only one. your buddy, big boy.
My father rents a storage unit at Yard Birds, I hope this didn’t screw him over.
I worked at an income property once, that had something very similar to this happen. The manager was renting spaces to tenants for cash, then keeping the units off the books. That way the management company thought they only had X amount of units rented. I don’t recall how that canard fell through. The manager in that embrolio was motivated by a heroin habit though.
Oh I’m sure he used it for medical bills……uh huh.
If so he could provide transcripts of those payments to the court.
Ya, I didn’t think so.
Que?
My first reaction to the news was simular to BleeBloo’s in that If in fact he is guilty, he would not have to worry about his future medical bills for awhile. It also reminds me of what it might feel like for a person who was desperate to pay his medical bills and felt the pressure from debtors so great that he made bad decisions. I want to believe that this person did everything he could to work out a payment plan with his debtors, but that information was not available in news article. No excuse for stealing however and ” IF ” he is convicted of this he will have to face the consequences of his actions as would we all.
This puke screwed me big time. I call this sweet Justice!!
Wow, you must be perfect! Hate blogger! Probably got bullied by a girl and now have E.D. issues so striking out at strangers getting arrested medicates your inner wounds. Good work. You’re probably changing lives on a blog known more for its hateful comments exemplifying this areas low education rate than its accurate reporting. Now I’m doing it to you! Ahhh, drink in the irony.
His medical problems are over, he will get free medical care in prison.