La Pine woman charged with embezzling $4.4 million from former employer

Allegations cover six years she worked for rural McMinnville nursery

McMINNVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – A La Pine woman was arrested at her home Monday on charges she embezzled about $4.4 million from her former employer, a rural McMinnville nursery, over a six-year period, authorities said Tuesday.

The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office said the Oregon Pride Nursery filed a report on Feb. 24 involving suspected fraud. The business noted some suspicious transactions and conducted an extensive audit of its books, finding suspicious transactions dating back to 2013.

Over the next several months, the nursery worked with an accounting firm and sheriff’s Detective Jacob Herr, determining that about $4.4 million had been embezzled between 2013 and last year by a former employee identified as Jeanna Lee Buxton, 61, who now lives in La Pine, the sheriff’s office said.

A Yamhill County grand jury returned an indictment charging 21 counts of first-degree aggravated theft, the agency said. A warrant was issued for Buxton’s arrest, with a bail amount of $200,000.

Members of the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Response Team contacted Buxton on Monday at her La Pine home and took her into custody on the outstanding warrant. She was initially booked into the Deschutes County Jail, before being transferred to the Yamhill County Jail in McMinnville.

The sheriff’s office thanked Oregon Pride Nursery “for their extensive cooperation in this complex investigation,” and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance in Buxton’s arrest.