Student Denies Guilt in School Store Thefts
An 18-year-old former student at John Marshall High School pleaded not guilty last week to charges of misdemeanor grand theft in the disappearance of more than $7,000 from the school’s student store.
Jettye Sone Reedy, charged with stealing the money while working at the store last June, is scheduled to go on trial Dec. 7.
Reedy’s attorney, Vernelle S. Edwards, moved in Los Angeles Municipal Court to suppress a confession allegedly signed by Reedy at the time of her arrest. Edwards said Reedy was intimidated by school security police.
“This thing goes a lot deeper than what they accuse my client of,” Edwards said. “We feel that Miss Reedy is being subjected to the status of a scapegoat in this matter, as there were at least 15 people who had access to the area those moneys were taken from.”
Discrepancies in Records
The theft, discovered in July, touched off an investigation that has revealed extensive discrepancies in the school’s financial records.
School district police have questioned 14 students and four adults who had access to revenues of the store, which takes in about $60,000 annually.
No other suspects have been identified, according to Herbert Gramm, director of police and administrative services for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He said, however, that more arrests are likely.
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