Former Washtenaw Dairy employee receives 1 year of probation for embezzling from store
The man who pleaded no contest to one count of embezzlement from the Washtenaw Dairy was sentenced to one year of probation by a Washtenaw County Trial Court judge Wednesday.
David Halman
David Halman pleaded no contest to a charge of embezzling more than $999, but less than $20,000 in September. Halman is a former employee of Washtenaw Dairy and was charged in May with embezzling thousands of dollars from the store.
Halman started out as a doughnut maker at Washtenaw Dairy in 2002 and worked his way up to sales manager, according to owner Jim Smith. As a part of his probation, he is no longer allowed to go to the store, have contact with Smith or hold a job where he is in charge of other people’s money, according to the ruling from Judge Archie Brown.
Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Dianna Collins said Halman was using the money he was embezzling from the store to support his habit of buying about $200 worth of lottery tickets per day. As a result, Brown ruled that Halman must seek a mental health referral to see if he has a gambling addiction as a part of his probation.
Halman has a previous conviction from about 10 years ago of false pretenses of $20,000 or more in Macomb County, according to state records. Smith has previously said that Halman let him know about the conviction and Smith said he believed Halman deserved a second chance.
Halman is responsible to pay $1,094 in costs to the court. He has already paid Smith back the full amount of money he embezzled.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
pegret
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 5:51 p.m.
"Halman was using the money he was embezzling from the store to support his habit of buying about $200 worth of lottery tickets per day. As a result, Brown ruled that Halman must seek a mental health referral to see if he has a gambling addiction." Gee, do you think?
ChelseaBob
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
Probation for a second offense? Is this common?
tinkerbell
Fri, Nov 11, 2011 : 5:05 a.m.
Probation for a tenth offense is common. I used to be a probation officer
jns131
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 3:57 p.m.
There were two others who also embezzled and are getting time off for good behavior. Sounds like the county does like and does offer easy time off.
Hmm
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 2:29 p.m.
Slap on the wrist
Commoncents
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 12:34 p.m.
He paid it back in full ? YEAH RIGHT! I bet he embezzled THOUSANDS more than they can prove and just gave a small chunk back. This story makes me sick. One year probation ? Should be at least 5yrs in jail and he should have to pay back DOUBLE. There are a lot of people who would risk stealing $20k if all that happened if they got caught is they'd have to pay it back, plus $1,000. Our court system is a JOKE and this guy should rot in jail.
Fat Bill
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 3:11 a.m.
Maybe I should take up embezzlement as a possible career choice. In Washtenaw County, I would get at least 1 chance to avoid prison time if I actually got caught. Too bad I respect my boss; otherwise I could claim the stress from my student loan debt drove me to do it...
justcurious
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 12:59 a.m.
It's good that he paid the undisclosed amount of money back but he blew his second chance by stealing it. Now he is getting a 3rd chance. Sometimes it seems that embezzlers always get punished easier from someone from outside that steals from a business. It's stealing something that isn't yours either way.
RJA
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 12:05 a.m.
As I read this story, I have the feeling that Mr. Halman is trying to change his life around. I like Archie Brown's ruling, (Good Job) Paying Jim Smith back in full is a plus, paying the court costs is a must. Seeking mental health referral is also a must. By the end of his year on probation, he should be able to get on with life. I think he will remember this bump in the road of life and not commit this crime again. Good Luck David Halman!
tinkerbell
Fri, Nov 11, 2011 : 5:04 a.m.
Where did he get the money to pay the restitution?
FredMax
Thu, Nov 10, 2011 : 1:34 a.m.
What, no job offer?