A Lane County Circuit Court judge arraigned Siuslaw Outreach Services’ former executive director Tuesday on a grand jury indictment, charging four counts of first-degree theft.

The embezzlement charges are connected to an undisclosed amount of missing money from the agency over a period of about four years.

Florence police began investigating the former director, Ethel G. Basset, 61, of Walton, last November when SOS interim Executive Director Donna Boggiano-Chmelicek and SOS Domestic Violence Advocate Tony Bour, reported that money appeared to be missing.

Detective John Brejska, with the assistance of Oregon Department of Justice Charitable Audit Coordinator Douglas Pearson, investigated and learned that a “substantial amount of money” was missing from the agency’s Batterer’s Intervention Program. The program helps place domestic violence offenders in classes to prevent a recurrence. The Oregon Department of Justice commonly assists in investigations in these types of cases, a Florence Police Department press release said.

“Since the removal of Ethel Bassett as the Executive Director, Siuslaw Outreach Services has continued to serve the community without reducing any services to the community and increased most services,” Siuslaw Outreach Services Board President Alex Koslov said in the press release.