Child care worker charged with embezzlement at Bucknell University

An employee of a child care center that operates on Bucknell University’s campus allegedly embezzled up to $12,000 by writing checks and using credit cards from the center.

David Boyd Denbow, 44, of Lewisburg, allegedly made illegal purchases using his designated Sunflower Lewisburg Area Child Care Center credit card at Walmart and Staples totaling $812, according to charging documents filed in District Judge Leo S. Armbruster’s office.
Denbow, an administrative assistant who worked at the center for 11 years, also allegedly wrote 26 checks totaling $10,758 to himself by forging the signature of Alice P. Reitenbach, the center’s director, the documents state.
The thefts date to June, according to court documents.
Officers from the university’s Department of Public Safety on April 20 interviewed Denbow, who allegedly admitted to making the credit card purchases and forging the checks.
The university leases the space to the center and provides some services in exchange for priority in placing a number of children of faculty and staff, but Sunflower is separately incorporated, said Tom Evelyn, the school’s director of news and media relations.
“As such, its business operation and financial controls are independent of Bucknell, and the workers there are employed by Sunflower, not the university,” he said.
Denbow, who is no longer employed at the center, told police he was “scared” and that he “did more than his share of work and covered for other people.”
“There were certain things that popped up that I just didn’t have the income for, and I knew what I was doing was wrong,” he told police, according to court documents.
He also told police he was feeling “let down” at work. He said he has been ashamed to show his face in town since being fired.
“Denbow stated that he was so sorry and regretful for what he did,” police said in the court documents. “Denbow stated that he was going to beg for mercy from God and whoever.”
A preliminary hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. June 23 in Armbruster’s office.