Lead Teller Accused of Stealing $30,000 from State College Bank

State College police arrested a Bellefonte woman for allegedly stealing $30,000 while working at a local bank.

Police charged Dorothea Ann Bird, 49, with theft, receiving stolen property and five counts of computer trespassing.

Bird is accused of taking the money over several days in October while working as the lead teller at the M&T Bank on South Allen Street in State College.

A bank associate conducted a surprise audit on Oct. 24 and discovered Bird completed a miscellaneous debit for $30,000 the day prior, according to the criminal complaint.

The audit also revealed that Bird allegedly attempted to cover up the missing cash through fraudulent transactions on five different occasions between Oct. 18 and Oct. 24

Bank security officers then reviewed surveillance video for Oct. 19, which reportedly captured Bird alone in the bank’s vault. “She was observed removing a large box of currency from drawer #3, her vault, and taking several straps of currency from it,” the affidavit says.

State College police interviewed Bird on Nov. 20 during which she reportedly denied taking the cash.

Police say a review of Bird’s paperwork, electronic journals and ATM transactions showed, “theft is the only explanation for the missing $30,000 and Bird’s intentional manipulation of the electronic journal is clearly an attempt to conceal the stolen currency,” the affidavit states.

Bird was released on $25,000 unsecured bail. Her preliminary hearing is slated for March 5.

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