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September 11, 2008

Robinson trial set

By Kelly Young

kyoung@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Jury selection in the theft trial of Doris Robinson, a former Rusk city employee, is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 14, with the trial itself expected to begin the following day. Robinson, 60, is accused of embezzling water collections during her time as utility billing clerk for the city.

“She faces one count of tampering with a government record and one count of theft of property by a public servant in an amount over $100,000 but less than $200,000,” said District Attorney Elmer Beckworth. “The crime is elevated due to her position as a public servant. The theft charge she faces is a first-degree felony.”

Robinson was indicted by a grand jury Feb. 25 and has since pleaded not guilty at her arraignment hearing. She is being represented at trial by attorney John Green. The trial will be held in the 369th District Court in Rusk, with Judge Bascom Bentley III presiding.

The district attorney commented that “some discovery issues may need to be dealt with” in the case, but would not expound on what he meant by the comment due to the pending status of the case.

In law, the discovery process is a pre-trial phase in which each party in a legal procedure can request documents and evidence from the other parties for the purpose of preparing their case.

Several subpoenas have been issued in connection to the trial, and Beckworth said that “hopefully we will have everyone who is a potential witness subpoenaed.”

A former bookkeeper for Rusk’s water department, Robinson was terminated by the city in January 2007, after a large sum of city water funds came up missing.

City Manager Mike Murray said the suspicious activity was first noticed back in August 2006, and the Texas Rangers were called in to investigate in September 2006. The city was alerted to the missing money thanks to a financial audit conducted by Acker & Company.

Beckworth said the theft allegations pertain to money that was allegedly stolen between August 2004 and September 2006. He said monetary restitution to the city could be ordered in the event of a conviction.

Robinson is the wife of Jacksonville City Councilman Hubert Robinson.

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