Bartlesville City Employee Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement

A Bartlesville water department employee pleaded guilty to embezzlement in Washington County court Friday.

Lee Axsom, 36, of Ochelata was accused along with eight other city employees with selling city-owned scrap materials in October.

Those eight employees, David Bridges, Shawn Collins, Jeffrey Crawford, Jimmie Beel, Cory Doggett, Robert Gage, Matthew Hobson and Jackie Plisek were charged with misdemeanor embezzlement charges. They pleaded guilty in mid-December and a judge sentenced them to six-month deferred sentences. 

12/13/2013 Related Story: Bartlesville City Employees Plead Guilty To Embezzlement

Lee Axsom was charged with felony embezzlement.  At Friday's hearing, the judge also gave Axsom a six-month deferred sentence.

Bartlesville Police said the employees were accused of taking water meters, brass fittings, copper and iron to a local recycling center.