Michelle Lee Eggleston, 30, of Green Bay, pleaded guilty recently to 10 counts of embezzlement from her previous employer, Lunenburg Animal Hospital, according to a news release from the Lunenburg County Commonwealth’s Attorney office.

Eggleston worked as an office manager in the administrative part of the veterinary business for approximately two years, the release cited. Restitution was ordered in the amount of $29,766.

According to Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Clement, the victim, Dr. Brandy Ashman, offered to give Eggleston the chance to avoid felony convictions so she would not lose custody of three foster children in her care from Amelia County and her ability to adopt them. Two of the charges were reduced to misdemeanors on which she will serve nearly one year, the release cited. She will also be allowed to serve her sentences on home electronic monitoring during the weekdays at work and home, and then report to the jail on Friday nights through Sunday nights in Piedmont Regional Jail (PRJ).

The eight remaining felony charges will be deferred for adjudication until Dec. 7, 2020, subject to numerous conditions, the release cited. If she complies, the eight felonies will be reduced to misdemeanors, and she will be sentenced to 12 months in jail on each one.

Her conditions include restitution of $29,766 of which she paid $9,000 to the victim on the date of trial, and $20,766 to the victim’s insurance company which paid part of the loss, the release cited.

She must also be of good behavior, comply with supervised probation, perform 50 hours of community service, provide a letter of apology, submit to warrantless searches and seizures, and have no contact with the victim, the release cited.

The charges arose from an investigation earlier this year at the request of the employer, the release cited, who discovered discrepancies in claims for wages for hours not worked, veterinarian services for her own animals for which she did not pay but had marked as paid, and stolen inventory of animal food and other items, the release cited.

The indictments covered a period of June 2016 through December 2017. Each count of embezzlement covers about two months and allege that each count is more than $200 which makes each charge a felony, the release cited.