On Aug. 12, Karen Epperly, 49, of Idyllwild, waived various rights, including her right to a jury trial, and pleaded guilty to the embezzlement charges against her. The court accepted her plea and set sentencing for Sept. 19. It was agreed that her maximum custody time would be not more than 365 days. The court also ordered a probation report.
At that Sept. 19 sentencing hearing, the court announced that it had read the probation report and that Epperly was not eligible for probation. Epperly then sought to withdraw her plea of guilty and to enter a plea of not guilty instead. After a hearing, her request was granted, and Epperly’s plea was changed to not guilty.
Her Preliminary Hearing has now been set for Nov. 6, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. in Department S204 in Murrieta.
Epperly had been charged with fraud and embezzlement, and taking, damaging or destroying property of more than $100,000 in value from Community Lumber in Idyllwild over a number of years when she was employed there.
