Police investigate link to General Sign Co. theft

A woman accused of embezzling money from a Cape Girardeau County company may have been involved in helping a burglary at the same business, but no charges have been filed against her, police said.

The General Sign Co., in rural Cape Girardeau County on Nash Road, was burglarized July 21. A lock box containing $227 was stolen and $528.31 in damage was done to a door, according to a probable-cause statement.

More than a month later in Scott City, police were investigating a series of unrelated thefts from vehicles and arrested three teenagers, some of whom police said confessed to the General Sign burglary.

Charged this week with felony burglary were: Robert S. Ott, 19, of Scott City; Gavin Richmond, 18, of Kelso, Mo.; and Corde Boyd, 19, of 317 S. High St. in Jackson. A fourth teen, who was 16 years old at the time of the burglary, was cited into juvenile court.

During questioning of the teens, Richmond allegedly stated that the idea to burglarize the company came from Charlotte Wrinkle, a former employee of the business.

Wrinkle, 40, of Scott City was charged earlier this month with four counts of felony theft and two counts of felony fraudulent use of a credit device for the theft of $7,188.93 from General Sign.

According to Scott City police, Wrinkle was in charge of billing and used company credit cards to buy gasoline for personal use, which she was not allowed by the company to do.

Richmond told police that Wrinkle gave the teens a key to the business, which later did not work, and told them where to find the lock box, the probable-cause statement said.

Ott and Richmond were lookouts while the other two defendants entered the business, according to the probable-cause statement.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department detective Travis Sikes said Wrinkle's possible involvement in the burglary was under investigation, but no charges against her for the crime had been filed.

No charges against the teenagers in connection to the vehicle-related thefts had been filed as of Wednesday night.

Bond for Boyd was set at $6,000 and at $15,000 cash only for Richmond and Ott.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127