IVOR
In the affidavit for a search warrant against the town clerk of Ivor, the investigating Southampton County Sheriff’s detective Lt. Camden S. Cobb stated that over $22,000 has been found as having been allegedly embezzled in checks signed and authorized by, written to and endorsed by the clerk, Jennifer M. Bumgardner, 43, of Zuni.

That and the information to follow is stated in the affidavit, the search warrant and the arrest warrants, copies of which were obtained by The Tidewater News on Friday afternoon.

The three warrants for her arrest, issued on Aug. 15, each state that she was to be taken into custody the next morning for violation of state code 18.2-111, which is embezzlement of $200 or more. The dates that said violations allegedly took place are June 28, May 16 and April 24 of this year.

In the criminal complaint, Cobb wrote that the suspect as town clerk had endorsed and cashed or deposited a check on June 28 written to her for payroll for $1,108.20, but gave a transaction report to town council showing she was paid only $900.41; On May 16, Bumgardner had endorsed or cashed or deposited a check for $1,800, but showed council that it had been written to Southern Software. On April 24, she had endorsed or cashed or deposited a check for $1,108.20, but presented the report to council showing it was for $554.10.

The search warrant was authorized on the afternoon of Aug. 14 to search Bumgardner’s residence on Seacock Chapel Road for “documents pertaining to the Town of Ivor’s accounts and to Jennifer Bumgardner’s personal bank accounts to include for both, bank statements, check stubs, deposit slips, ledgers and other similar financial documents.”

Miscellaneous documents, a multi-colored purse and a red backpack and contents were reported seized on the day of her arrest.

Also in the affidavit, Camden stated that the Southampton County Sheriff’s Office had been investigating the clerk since July 24.

“During the investigation I found multiple instances where Bumgardner had prepared a ledger detailing the activity of the town’s accounts to present to the town council where discrepancies existed between what was listed on the ledger for the amounts and the payees.

There were multiple instances between January 2016 and July 2018 where checks were presented to the council as having been written to a company or business for some type of service or bill, but the coordinating check numbers and canceled checks show that the checks had been written to and endorsed by Jennifer Bumgardner. There were other instances where the ledger was presented to town council for a check payable to Bumgardner for her salary for one amount, but the cancelled check showed that it has been written to Bumgardner for a different, higher amount.”

Cobb also said that some information had been obtained from Ivor Mayor Tara Kea, and that he had no reason not to believe her statements, nor that she could gain anything from the investigation results.

Cobb stated that a search of Bumgardner’s resident for corresponding documents, such as deposit slips and bank statements, would also provide evidence of the crime of embezzlement against the Town of Ivor.

Bumgardner is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 1 p.m. in Southampton County General District Court.