Van Nuys Court Employee, 3 Others Held : Clerk Accused of Removing Drunk-Driving Files

A Van Nuys Municipal Court clerk, her husband and two others have been arrested in connection with the removal of court records of at least seven drunk-driving arrests in exchange for money, authorities said Friday.

The clerk, Beryl Vinson, 24, and her husband, Richard, also 24, were arrested Friday at their Sylmar home and charged with three felony counts each--conspiracy to obstruct justice, conspiracy to commit bribery and secreting, removing or destroying files, Deputy Dist. Atty. Herbert Lapin said.

Lapin said as many as 36 drunk-driving files may have been removed from the clerk’s office in Van Nuys, but that only seven have been confirmed as missing and three have actually been found.

Also arrested Friday was Betty Bormann, 45, of Sepulveda, who was charged with removing files and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The fourth suspect, Michael Charette, 35, of Sepulveda, was arrested Tuesday and charged with removal of court files and possession of cocaine.

Although prosecutors were reluctant to provide details because the investigation is not complete, Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen A. Sowders, head of the Special Investigations Division, said a bar in Sepulveda figured in the scheme.

Charette and a woman who is still being sought would deliver $1,000 to $1,500 to Bormann from people who wanted to have court files removed, and a waitress in turn would contact the Vinsons, Sowders said.

Beryl Vinson was a supervising criminal clerk until this week, when she was transferred to the night court at the Criminal Courts building downtown, Lapin said. Her husband works for a carpet cleaning firm, investigator Fred Leonhardt said.

Lapin said two other arrest warrants have been issued but that neither of the suspects is a government employee. He declined to identify the two.

Bail for the four arrested was set at $7,500.

Authorities did not rule out the possibility that the Vinsons’ alleged customers might also be prosecuted.