Former Bossier City employee pleads not guilty to theft

BOSSIER CITY, La. (AP) - A former City of Bossier City employee who was arrested and accused of stealing city funds has pleaded not guilty.

The Times of Shreveport reports 47-year-old Shelli S. Briggs, former booking manager at the Bossier Civic Center, waived formal arraignment Tuesday in state court and entered the plea.

A status conference is set for Feb. 20.

Briggs was first arrested Sept. 7 on charges of theft and malfeasance in office. Bossier City spokesman Mark Natale said in a news release that Briggs was accused of taking $90,000 in civic center funds over eight years. In her job, Briggs was responsible for collecting rental fees for events held at the facility. Natale says an audit uncovered alleged discrepancies in financial records, which resulted in an investigation.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.shreveporttimes.com