A city worker pocketed “bundles of cash” from the Columbus Metra Transit System on Linwood Boulevard according to court testimony from a Columbus Police officer. Roni Taylor is charged with felony theft by taking for allegedly stealing 30K from Metra. An investigation was prompted by the director of Metra after noticing discrepancies in a cash sheet.
Corporal Seth Cole testified time sheets were fraudulently altered, and money was missing from accounts. The theft allegedly occurred for a full year before police were tipped off to the discovery. By that time a total of $29,166.50 was missing.
Cole said surveillance video from Metra shows Taylor taking the funds from an account and putting it in her pants during a 30-day span. Bank records revealed months of large ATM cash deposits which correlated with the missing funds from Metra.
Armed with videos, bank records and cash discrepancies over a 12-month period police took out a warrant and Taylor turned herself in last week. Recorder’s court Judge Susan Henderson found there was probable cause and bound the case over to Superior Court. Henderson set a 10-thousand-dollar bond and a condition that Taylor does not return to Metra Transit on Linwood Boulevard.
Calls for comment from deputy city manager Lisa Goodwin have not been returned.
