Guilty.
That was Shavon Westley’s plea last week before Judge Wendy Potts in Oakland County Circuit Court.
The 35-year-old former employee of CAM Logic, located at 38 S. Washington St. in downtown Oxford, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement of $100,000 or more and five counts of forgery.
An investigation conducted by Oxford Village Police revealed Westley had allegedly embezzled approximately $254,000 from CAM Logic between 2012 and 2014.
Potts is scheduled to sentence Westley at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6.
‘I just want it done. I just want it over with,? said Jim Carlisle, owner and president of CAM Logic.
CAM Logic specializes in three-dimensional scanning and printing technology. The company made headlines last summer when it scanned the Spirit of Detroit and created miniature copies of the iconic statue.
According to Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton, Westley entered a Cobbs plea, which is an agreement between the defendant and the court.
In a Cobbs plea, the judge makes an agreement with a defendant concerning the sentence the court will impose if a guilty or no contest plea is entered.
The sentencing terms are based on what the judge knows at the time regarding the facts of the case and the defendant’s criminal history.
In Westley’s case, the judge agreed to sentence her at the low end of the sentencing guidelines, which, according to Walton, is 30 to 50 months in prison.
If for some reason Potts can’t abide by the Cobbs agreement based on the results of a presentence investigation conducted by the probation department, Westley has the right to withdraw her plea and proceed to trial.
Walton stressed the prosecutor’s office has no involvement in a Cobbs agreement.
It’s strictly between the court and the defendant.
‘We’ve got no say in it,? he said. ‘We can object if we wanted to, but still the court can take a Cobbs plea over our objection.?
Per the state’s Crime Victim’s Rights Act, Carlisle was consulted before the Cobbs agreement was made and he had no problem with it.
‘They were not (going) to agree to anything unless I was okay with it,? he said. ‘I agreed to it because I’m not a vindictive guy.?
Carlisle explained he’s ‘not after revenge.?
‘She worked for me for five years. I care about the girl. She (screwed) up,? he said. ‘I don’t think this is in her DNA. I think she made a big mistake. I think she did it once and it was easy, so she did it again, then greed took control.?
‘I don’t think she took the time to really digest what she was really doing, the damage she was doing,? Carlisle continued. ‘She’s going to pay a price. What price do I think is fair? I don’t think she should do 20 years in jail. I don’t think this should ruin her life. It’s not a violent crime . . . I think 36 months in prison is enough for her to learn her lesson.?