A local business owner was arrested and charged Thursday after she allegedly stole funds from bank accounts of several people with developmental disabilities, the Summit County Sheriff's Office said in a new release.
Beth Wallace-Cox, 46, of Rootsown, was charged with theft from a protected class, forgery, and tampering with records, all third-degree felonies.
During an investigation that started in May 2018, the Summit County Sheriff's Office received a report that Wallace-Cox, who owns a business called Payee Ship Solutions, was allegedly misappropriating funds from the bank accounts of several people with developmental disabilities.
Authorities say 49 people were victims of theft in Summit and Portage counties, according to the release. In total, $9,900 was stolen, according to Inspector Bill Holland, of the Summit County Sheriff's Office.
She entered not guilty pleas this morning in Portage County Common Pleas Court. She has a hearing scheduled for January 23 and a trial date scheduled for May 14.
The Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board released this statement:
Beth Wallace Cox was a payee for multiple people who are eligible for services with Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board (Summit DD). Through regular monitoring of people’s services, we noticed suspicious patterns with their finances and turned the case over to the Summit County Sheriff detective stationed in our building. Summit DD takes our role to protect the health and welfare of those we serve very seriously. We work very closely with the police and the courts to ensure perpetrators are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Summit DD is the community resource that makes meaningful connections for more than 4,700 adults and children with developmental disabilities and their families. It is the Agency’s mission to help people of all abilities reach their full potential, one person at a time. More information regarding the Agency is available online at SummitDD.org.
