Mother of hit and-run-suspect heading to trial in embezzlement case
Judge, while still waiting on plea in concealing death case, accepts not guilty pleas in separate matter
On Wednesday, Stephanie Whitmarsh pleaded not guilty to felony embezzlement accusations. The felony charges pre-date the felony charges she is also facing in a case involving her daughter, hit-and-run suspect Sidney Whitmarsh.
Judge Rachel Olguin-Fresquez, after accepting Stephanie Whitmarsh’s not guilty pleas for the class-4 felony of theft, the class-4 felony of cybercrime, and the class-6 felony of unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, set a five-day trial to start on July 28.
Olguin-Fresquez also set a plea hearing for June 11 in Stephanie Whitmarsh’s other case, where she is facing felony charges of accessory to a crime, tampering with physical evidence and concealing death.
When Edwards bicyclist Mario Vildozola Romero was found dead on Jan. 9, 2024, the Avon Police Department already had a file on Stephanie Whitmarsh stemming from March 2023 accusations of embezzlement from her employer.
Stephanie Whitmarsh’s daughter, Sidney Whitmarsh, is the primary suspect in a hit-and-run that killed Romero. Stephanie Whitmarsh is accused of hatching a plan to move Romero’s body and help Sidney Whitmarsh flee the state.
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Sidney Whitmarsh was arrested on March 21, 2024, in Clarendon, Arkansas. The Avon Police Department then interviewed Stephanie Whitmarsh about the embezzlement case on April 3. During that interview, Stephanie Whitmarsh stated that she had taken on more management roles with her employer and had been performing tasks from home, according to an arrest affidavit.
Stephanie Whitmarsh was arrested and charged on April 29, 2024, as an accomplice to her daughter’s alleged crime. Prosecutors, in an April 30, 2024, hearing, alleged that Stephanie Whitmarsh drove Sidney Whitmarsh “halfway to Arkansas” and also drove to the scene of the crime to ensure that no evidence could be seen from the road. In an affidavit for Stephanie Whitmarsh’s arrest, Colorado State Patrol investigator Colin Remillard said there was sufficient evidence to suggest Romero’s body was moved.
The Avon Police Department then conducted a follow-up interview with Stephanie Whitmarsh regarding the embezzlement accusations in July of 2024. Detective Theresa Reno said in the follow-up interview, Whitmarsh “had changed her statements” on the management work and amount of work performed from her home, according to the affidavit.
Stephanie Whitmarsh was then arrested on Aug. 8 for the charges of theft, unauthorized use of a financial device and cybercrime.
Reno said in reviewing the information supplied by Stephanie Whitmarsh, her employer, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Reno found four areas of fraudulent activity including double billed hours; unaccounted hours and mileage billed; unauthorized use of a business credit card and reimbursement of personal spending; and billing hours when out of town.
Her attorney in that case, Sean Brown, told Olguin-Fresquez that he thinks the jury trial might require a whole week.
“There is certainly a lot of information to go over, and we have considerable evidence we intend to present as part of our case,” he said.
