Plea deal reached in $700K Bend embezzlement case

On the eve of his scheduled trial, a Bend man arrested nearly three years ago on charges of embezzling $700,000 from his former employer and using it to buy guns, survival gear and other items has filed a plea deal on two of the 56 charges against him.

William Walton III, 44, who was office manager for Jack Robinson & Sons, was arrested in July 2015, as was his wife, whose charges later were dropped due to lack of evidence.

Walton signed a plea petition Friday, agreeing to ender conditional guilty pleas, known as an Alford plea, to two counts of first-degree aggravated theft. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, only acknowledging it’s likely a jury would find him guilty, based on the evidence presented.

Deschutes County Circuit Judge Wells Ashby signed an order accepting the plea as “informed and voluntary” and scheduled a two-hour sentencing hearing for Aug. 13. The petition notes that prosecutors will recommend a four-year prison term, while the defense attorney will seek a sentence of only probation.

Walton also agreed to forfeit his bank accounts and seized property, unless he provides a restitution check of $75,000 by the time of sentencing.

Two years after his arrest, Walton was charged with witness tampering and coercion, accused of sending company owner Ron Robinson a letter by courier service, attempting to blackmail Robinson and calling on him to ask that the charges be dropped.and his seized property returned. Robinson reported the letter to police.