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MWC student charged in theft

Mary Washington College student, president-elect of student government association, charged with embezzlement.

By KARI PUGH

Date published: 4/25/2003

Probe results in felony arrest of MWC leader

The student government president-elect of Mary Washington College has been charged with stealing more than $1,800 from another school organization.

Rebecca Cho Turnbull, 20, faces felony counts of embezzlement and check forgery following an investigation that began last fall, according to court documents.

Turnbull, a junior, was president of the college's Association of Residential Halls, a sister group to the Student Government Association that addresses student dorm concerns.

After summer break last year, the ARH treasurer noticed some money missing from the group's account, according to arrest warrants filed in Fredericksburg General District Court.

Police allege that Turnbull wrote at least two bogus checks on the group's account and kept the cash for herself.

On April 17, college police charged Turnbull with embezzlement and two counts of check forgery, according to court records. Arrest warrants indicate one false check was written for $1,300 and another for $330. At least $1,800 was missing from the ARH account, court records state.

Turnbull was released on her own recognizance and faces a preliminary hearing May 20.

If convicted, she faces up to three years in jail.

School officials yesterday refused to comment on the arrest, citing the federal Family Educational Right and Privacy Act.

Police said Turnbull withdrew from school this week.

She was president-elect of the Student Government Association and was well-known around campus, students said.

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Date published: 4/25/2003