On Thursday, April 2, Lawrence Edwards, formerly of Idyllwild, pleaded guilty to a felony count of embezzlement from the Mountain Quilters.
The original complaint was filed in September 2014, but dates to his time with the Mountain Quilters in 2013.
He was granted 36 months probation, but must pay restitution to the quilters, according to John Hall, information specialist, Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
He also has court and judicial fees of about $1,200.
At the hearing, he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
In the original filing, the DA’s office claimed Edwards took money from the Quilters over a period of about 14 months.
Lead Investigator Steven Grassel of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office indicated in his sworn affidavit that an audit showed Edwards, as treasurer of the Mountain Quilters, had taken more than $4,900 in 24 checks written to himself on the quilters’ account.
Grassel’s affidavit also stated Edwards indicated in an interview that he did not realize he had taken that much money.
The affidavit also noted that Edwards had already re-paid about $2,700 to the group.
The quilters club has not responded to a request for comments.
Although his plea has been accepted and sentencing ordered, Edwards still has a hearing scheduled in July to monitor progress.