The Grand Jury has returned indictments against Natalie L. Higley, Leonard Willis Dean, Larry Wayne McConnell and Enoch Spurgeon Benefield, Jr., for the theft of Bainbridge State College property, including a Ford Tractor and a golf cart, among other items.
The group is being charged with four counts of theft by receiving stolen property, four counts of theft by taking, two counts of theft by conversion, two counts of making a false statement and one count of violating the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The RICO Act targets larger criminal organizations, indicating the alleged thieves assisted each other in committing the after mentioned crimes.
Between Jan. 2006 and Jan. 2013, the accused thieves allegedly and collectively stole a Ford tractor, a golf cart, an ice machine, two portable storage buildings, an electric hand saw, a table saw, an office table, a laptop bag and miscellaneous lumber from BSC.
According to documents released by the Georgia Superior Court, Higley, Dean and McConnell were employees of BSC and illegally obtained and sold the equipment.
“Bainbridge State College is steadfastly committed to being good stewards of state resources,” BSC said in a statement. “As an institution within the University System of Georgia, we pride ourselves on clearly following all processes set in place to prevent potential wrongdoing and protect the resources entrusted to us. While none of these individuals currently work at Bainbridge State College, we fully support the investigation.”
Warrants for the indicted are currently being prepared for delivery to the sheriff’s office, according to Decatur County Sheriff Wiley Griffin.
Representatives from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the lead investigator in the case, were unable to comment on the indictments.