La Plata, MD – A Waldorf man who stole pull tabs from the Waldorf Elks Lodge and turned them in for cash prizes was sentenced Monday to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended to be served in the Charles County Detention Center
Ernest Eugene Bradshaw, 60 of Waldorf, stole pull tabs which are redeemed for cash prizes, costing the non-profit thousands of dollars.
“Ernie, as a former member and friend of the Elks Lodge, first you broke our hearts and then you broke our wallet,” longtime Elks Lodge member and trustee Thomas Coyle told the court. “We found almost $30,000 gone that would have gone toward scholarships for high school students, veterans at Charlotte Hall Veteran’s Home and cash prizes for our poster contest—all gone.”
Coyle told Charles County Circuit Court Amy J. Bragunier that insurance would cover all but $1,000 of the theft.
Bragunier asked Bradshaw why he hadn’t paid $2,000 toward restitution he promised to pay when he last appeared in court Oct. 1.
The defendant told the judge he was injured on the job and hadn’t worked in a month.
“You had two months to come up with the $2,000 we were expecting by today,” Bragunier said. “You don’t seem very concerned. You made no effort.”
Bragunier sentenced Bradshaw to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended. She granted him work release and said she was waiving court costs.
“I want all your efforts to go toward restitution,” the judge said, ordering Bradshaw to pay the state’s attorney’s office $500 a month until the theft amount is satisfied. She said he would be placed on five years of supervised probation upon his release.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com