World Photo by Jessica Musicar
Gwen N. Sherbondy walks through a Coos County courtroom for a change-plea hearing on Monday morning. The 46-year-old Coquille resident faces a charge of first-degree aggravated theft in connection with looting of a fund for a post-graduation party for Coquille High School seniors.
COQUILLE — The lawyer for a Coquille woman accused of robbing a Roseburg bank and embezzling a high school graduation fund hopes a single plea deal will settle his client’s state and federal charges.
“I don’t know how successful we’re going to be in that, but that’s our goal at this point,” said Coos County Public Defender Ron Cox.
On Monday, Cox and defendant Gwen N. Sherbondy stood before Coos County Judge Martin Stone, for a plea-change hearing on a first-degree aggravated theft charge.
Cox asked Stone to delay Sherbondy’s hearing until Sept. 28, following her Sept. 21 hearing in U.S. District Court in Eugene on the federal charge. The judge granted him only eight days to confer with Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier.
The DA just returned from an extended vacation. Sherbondy is expected to reappear in Coos County court at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 8.
Cox said because the judge refused his request for a longer delay, he’s not sure he’ll be able to arrange a unified settlement.
Federal agents arrested Sherbondy in March after a search of her Coquille home. They charged her on one federal count of bank robbery in connection with the Feb. 24 heist of a Roseburg Wells Fargo Bank.
She also is accused of stealing about $11,000 from Coquille High School’s class of 2009 Project Graduation fund. The 46-year-old mother of a recent Coquille graduate supervised the yearlong project to raise funds for a graduation party.
She also is a person of interest in three other bank robberies, including one at Washington Federal Savings Bank in Lincoln City on Sept. 2, 2008. She has not been charged in those cases.
Sherbondy is living at home until her charges are resolved.
Early this year, the district attorney said he’d expected the federal court to handle all of Sherbondy’s charges, but he eventually decided to file the theft charge because federal authorities probably don’t have jurisdiction.
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I can not believe this person is walking free.she also robbed the wamu bank in myrtle point.my wife was the teller that was robbed,and i think she should be charged with each case seprate.and spend a long time in prison.she also stoled money from a school program up in the valley.thats why she moved to coq.
Here we go, Frasier has her now, here comes the old plea bargain process! Best D.A. in the good 'ol USA, just too bad he is on the criminals side! She will end up with a little red mark on the back of her hand and sent on her merry way! I think in his past life he must have been a pretty darn good defense attorney.
oh heck, just give her a few days in jail like all the others, but put a few more family men and women in jail for a couple months for petty nuisances.
why is this thief out of jail and at home. I hope the folks in Coquille shun her in the old fashioned way. What a creep. How can she hold her head up? But then she didn't have any morals when she decided to steel from kids either did she? I hope all counts are charged separatedly and that she gets the maximum for each count.
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