VSP: Funds missing, ex-Highland County administrator under investigation
MONTEREY — A former Highland County administrator who was at the helm for nearly 20 years is under investigation by Virginia State Police after thousands of dollars reportedly went missing, court documents allege.
In January, state police were asked to investigate an embezzlement complaint in Highland County, and met with its commonwealth’s attorney, Megan Yelen, according to an affidavit for a search warrant recently filed in Augusta County Circuit Court.
Court records show that authorities were alerted to the alleged theft following an audit ordered by the Highland County Board of Supervisors. Based on the audit, it was alleged that Roberta A. Lambert, 65, the former county administrator, had used public funds “for her own personal ventures,” the affidavit claims.
Authorities said an estimated $20,000 went missing between July 2022 and December 2023.
Lambert, who resigned in January, was Highland County’s administrator since 2004. Her salary was $88,471, according to the county.
The audit was done by the Staunton firm of Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates. An investigator with Virginia State Police filed the affidavit in an effort to obtain electronic records from the audit.
On Jan. 2, Henry A. Budzinski Jr., a Highland County supervisor, announced at a meeting that authorities were investigating the misappropriation of county funds and said an unnamed employee had been placed on leave with pay during the probe, according to minutes that were provided to The News Leader by the board. The supervisors then went into a closed session “to discuss the performance, discipline and dismissal of a specific employee.”
Following the closed session, Supervisor Paul Trible made a motion to contract with the Staunton firm as part of a fraud investigation into a credit card issued to the Highland County Board of Supervisors, the minutes state.
On Jan. 17, Lambert, who worked for Highland County for 45 years, hand-delivered her resignation letter. That same day during a supervisors meeting, Trible made a motion to accept her resignation, the minutes show.
In the resignation letter, Lambert asked that her unused benefits be paid, including sick leave and vacation. She also requested she be allowed to purchase her county-issued cell phone and iPad. The board allowed her to transfer her county cell phone number to a personal plan and gave her the 10-year-old iPad, the minutes showed. No mention was made of her benefits, sick leave or vacation.
No charges have been filed, according to online court records.
Jerri Botkin has been named interim county administrator for Highland County.
Yelen could not be reached for comment.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: VSP: Funds missing, ex-Highland County administrator probed
