FORMER VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT TREASURER
INDICTED ON THEFT AND EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGES

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today the indictment and arrest of Darnita Dent, 35, a former treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Chapel Oaks Volunteer Fire Department, for felony theft and misappropriation by a fiduciary. The charges, which were filed by the Prince George’s County Grand Jury back on June 8, 2004, allege that the defendant stole money from the volunteer fire department over a period spanning from June 1998 through February 2000. Dent resides on 58th Avenue in Bladensburg, Maryland; she was arrested by Maryland State Police yesterday.

The case was investigated by the Office of the Attorney General and the Maryland State Police. It will be prosecuted by the Criminal Investigations Division of the Attorney General’s Office.

Although an indictment is just an allegation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the maximum penalty for felony theft is 15 years imprisonment and a $1,000 fine while the maximum penalty for misappropriation by a fiduciary is 5 years imprisonment.

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