Rhonda Vickery, 44, was first arrested and charged with Theft by Check on Feb. 7, 1986. The charge was dismissed in March of the same year.

In March of 2000, Vickery was again arrested and charged with Theft by Check. According to public records, the charge was dismissed in July of that year after she pled not guilty to the Class B Misdemeanor.

Then, in August of 2000, Vickery was again arrested and charged with Theft by Check. She pled guilty to the charge and was convicted on a lesser charge of a Class C Misdemeanor.

While she was still working at the Chamber in December 2008, Vickery was charged with Theft by Check a fourth time. Montgomery County has an active warrant out for the offense against Vickery.

WACC President Trey Duhon said last week he was not aware of Vickery’s criminal history when she was hired.

Vickery was fired Dec. 7 by Duhon after he and WACC Secretary Judy Doyle discovered misuse of funds.

Duhon said he believed the amount allegedly stolen may be in excess of $40,000, much of it used with a charge card and fraudulent checks.

The alleged purchases made were on everyday items such as groceries, gasoline and household bills, he said, adding that there were also ATM withdrawals.

“If it is determined that laws were broken, the Chamber will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Duhon stated in an e-mail to Chamber members Dec. 10. “Additionally, we are auditing all financial controls and will make whatever changes necessary to ensure financial stability and reliability.”

Vickery, who had worked at the Chamber since November 2008, had previously been reprimanded for performance issues, but never for anything “financially-related,” said Duhon.

The Waller Police Department (WPD) began investigating the case after a police report was filed.

The case was scheduled to be presented to the Waller County District Attorney’s office by investigators last week. Results of that presentation were unavailable at press time.

“We will proceed in assisting them with the process they go through,” Police Chief Phil Rehak said. “They are planning on presenting it to a grand jury in January.”

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