Cassandra Beth Lavley, a dispatcher with the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, appeared in Plumas County Superior Court Aug. 2 on three felony charges that include embezzling from a fund providing Christmas gifts for children in need. She is scheduled to return to court Oct. 4 for continuation of her pretrial hearing.
Arrested April 11, Lavley, 39, pleaded not guilty April 16 to two counts of embezzlement and one count of fraudulent alteration of books. All three charges are felonies.
Superior Court Judge Janet Hilde released her from custody on her own recognizance April 16 after she had spent five days in custody in Lassen County in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
The alleged crimes took place between Jan. 1, 2022, and Nov. 21, 2023, and involve Lavley in her capacity as the secretary/treasurer of the Plumas County Sheriff’s Employees Association, according to the complaint filed April 11 by Plumas County Assistant District Attorney Graham Archer. The complaint alleges that Lavley embezzled over $20,000 from the association’s general account and the needy children account, used to provide local kids with Christmas gifts. It also alleges that Lavley altered the accounts and documents kept by the employee association.
She resigned as the employee association’s secretary/treasurer after she was confronted Nov. 20, 2023, with the results of an investigation by Chandler Peay, a Plumas County sheriff’s deputy and the current president of the employee association. Lavley claimed that a variety of charges on the association’s American Express credit card were a mistake, according to testimony presented in court April 16. She wrote the association a check for $2,958.89 on Nov. 21, 2023.
Lavley was placed on administrative leave Nov. 21, 2023. Her Oct. 4 court appearance is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
