Raleigh County man accused of stealing $100,000 from employer

Josephine E. Moore, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
·3 min read

Oct. 27—A Raleigh County man with previous domestic violence charges from out of state is now facing charges in Raleigh County for the theft of more than $100,000 from a local private investigation firm where he was employed.

Roger David Utt, 36, was charged in early October with obtaining money by false pretenses, a felony.

According to court documents filed with Raleigh County Circuit Court, Utt defrauded Cramer Security and Investigations Inc. of $107,312.50 between January 2020 and January 2021.

The Register-Herald previously reported that Utt served as vice president of Cramer Security and Investigations.

Court documents also stated that the funds were taken from Greg Darby and Michael Beasley of Cramer Security and Investigations.

Darby is the president of Cramer Security and Investigations and is president of Little General Stores Inc., according to West Virginia Secretary of State's Office records.

Cramer Security and Investigations is a private investigation firm that is based in Beckley.

The case is being handled by Special Appointed Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Miller, who serves part-time as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Wyoming County.

A plea hearing for Utt has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 16 in Raleigh County Circuit Court.

Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield said a special prosecutor was needed in this case due to a conflict of interest on his part.

"I wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety," said Hatfield, adding that he has known both Utt and Darby for some time.

He added that special care was also taken while investigating this matter as Utt was a former deputy for the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department.

"They had it investigated by state police officers not from this area," Hatfield said.

The Register-Herald spoke with Wyoming County Prosecuting Attorney Greg Bishop and Miller Wednesday afternoon to learn more about where the case is headed next.

Bishop said Utt is expected to plead guilty during his plea hearing next month. A standard Rule 11 plea agreement, signed by Miller, Utt and Utt's attorney, was filed Oct. 13, according to court documents.

As part of the plea, Bishop said Utt will be required to pay restitution in the amount of $107,312.50.

Bishop said they are also recommending Utt be placed on supervised probation for 12 months in lieu of the sentence detailed in state code, which is one to ten years.

The decision for sentencing will ultimately rest with the judge, Bishop said.

The Register-Herald reached out to Darby on Wednesday for a comment on this case and was informed by a representative with Little General Stores that he did not wish to comment.

Bishop said he has had some dealing with Darby and Beasley, who are shocked by what was uncovered.

"We deal with victims all the time and of course it's traumatic for anyone to be victimized," Bishop said. "And that's kind of where they are. Mr. Utt is a trusted employee so I'm sure that there was some victimization."

While this matter is likely soon to be settled, Utt still has pending charges from Horry County, South Carolina, for first-degree domestic violence, a felony, and third-degree assault and battery, for an incident that occurred in Myrtle Beach in June 2021.

According to the Horry County Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Public Index, which can be found online, the last action taken on the case was a consent order filed March 14.

This site also lists Utt's case as "pending."