COUNTYWIDE : Ex-Official Pleads Guilty in Theft Case

A former manager in the Ventura County Public Social Services Agency pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing more than $15,000 worth of computer equipment from his office.

David M. Woody, 29, of Camarillo admitted one count of embezzlement in Ventura County Municipal Court and will be sentenced April 20, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert D. Meyers said.

Woody has been fired from his job as manager of computer services for the agency. Meyers said Woody will probably not be sent to state prison but could receive up to three years of probation and one year in the Ventura County Jail.

Agency Director James E. Isom said earlier this month that his office received a tip in February that Woody had been stealing equipment. A truckload of printers, monitors, computer hard drives, memory chips and other equipment was recovered at his home and other locations after a three-week investigation by the agency, Isom said.