CONVINGTON, La. – An ex-city employee was arrested on charges that she stole money from the City of Covington and the Three Rivers Art Festival, according to Covington Police Department spokesman Capt. Jack West.
The arrest of Karen Whiteside, 45, ends a three-month investigation by police, according to West. Eyewitness News first reported on the allegations July 21.
Whiteside resigned from government but worked as a utilities billing manager and a deputy tax collector. She was the subject of an investigation into money missing from the Three Rivers Art Festival, an annual non-profit event in Covington for which Whiteside served as event manager.
Whiteside was charged with theft of slightly less than $50,000 from the festival, according to West.
At the present time,” said West in an e-mail, “investigators have only been able to acquire the Festival’s records for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Using these records they found 34 separate instances where Whiteside had stolen money from the Festival. More charges will follow if the 2005 and 2006 records can be found."
According to police, Whiteside allegedly stole money from the city by using a city credit card on two occasions, which totaled less $200, and she wrote worthless check for less than $1,200.
If convicted, according to police, Whiteside faces 134 years in jail.
Whiteside was charges with four counts of worthless checks as a misdemeanor, two counts worthless checks as a felony, 34 counts of thefts over $500, one count of unauthorized use of credit card, one count of filing and keeping false records and one count of malfeasance in office.
