By Cheryl Skinner

A Guy area women, who plead guilty last week to charges she stole over $160,000 from a Needville grocery store while an employee there, will be sentenced March 1, the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Officials said Laura Elizabeth Mager, 25, plead guilty after her trial had begun in the 434th District Court.
Mager was charged with felony Theft and Misapplication of Property and she changed her plea once the jury was selected.

According to prosecutor W. Scott Carpenter, the Economic Crimes Division Chief, Mager was employed as a cashier at Ladd’s Zero Market in Needville from 2003 to 2005. During that time she stole approximately $165,000 from the cash register without Ladd’s knowledge. Carpenter said Mager initially began stealing small amounts of cash, around $20 at time, but escalated to $600 a day and even more money when she worked on weekends.

Mager disguised her theft by manipulating the cash register so that the daily money count always appeared to be accurate.

Ladd’s eventually discovered this activity, retained a private investigator and reported the crime to authorities.

Mager also admitted to the cash register thefts.

Mager was prosecuted in the 434th District Court before Presiding Judge James Shoemake. Both convictions are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. The defendant is probation eligible.

Mager elected for the court to decide her punishment rather than a jury and her punishment hearing has been reset for March 1, 2010.

Assistant District Attorneys W. Scott Carpenter and Rodolfo “Rudy” Ramirez prosecuted the case. Attorney Logene Foster represented the defendant.

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