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Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Warner Robins travel agent pleads guilty

PERRY — A Warner Robins travel agent pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon to 47 counts of felony and misdemeanor theft by conversion.

Sara Betty Bearden, 66, who operated Sophie’s Travel Agency on Moody Road, was ordered to pay $59,408.20 in restitution for taking money but failing to deliver on bookings.

The bookings ranged from a family reunion to a honeymoon trip to a high school senior trip.

Houston County Superior Court Judge George F. Nunn also issued a preliminary sentencing of three years in jail and 12 years on probation. The judge ordered a pre-sentencing report for Bearden and may reduce the sentence to 15 years probation based on her health and age if the sentencing report finds she qualifies for a probated sentence.

Of the 47 counts of theft by conversion, 34 were felonies and 13 were misdemeanors.

Bearden was indicted by a Houston County grand jury on 58 counts of theft by conversion. She was accused of pocketing about $70,000 customers had paid for trips that she either failed to book or booked and then canceled, according to Houston County sheriff’s Sgt. Al Elvins.

The other counts were dropped but she was ordered to pay restitution on all counts, said Senior Assistant District Attorney Jeff Lasseter. Bearden already has paid back one of the victims.

Also included in the plea agreement was the dismissal of a felony count of possession of a dangerous drug. The charge was based on the discovery of two pills, police said, inside a plastic cigarette wrapper inside her purse when she was first booked into the jail. Bearden remains free on bond pending her final sentencing, which is expected in December or January.

Bearden initially was arrested after failing to refund $35,761 she collected from a group of parents and recent high school graduates for an end-of-summer cruise for which they never received tickets, police said.

Members of the group were families at Shirley Hills Baptist Church.

Lasseter said he was glad the case was resolved without “further heartache” for the victims involved.

Carl Veline Jr., a Warner Robins attorney representing Bearden, declined to comment.