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Judge Acquits Teller of Theft Charges

LAURIE MASON COURIER TIMES

BENSALEM Andrea Gluyas denied stealing $8,800 from her employer. A county judge agreed.

A Bensalem bank teller who had been accused of stealing $8,800 from her employer just before quitting her job last year was found not guilty yesterday in Bucks County court.

Andrea Gluyas, 23, was acquitted following a two-day non-jury trial before county Judge Mitchell Goldberg. After deliberating overnight, Goldberg determined that Gluyas was not guilty of the charges of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and receiving stolen property.

"She's extremely relieved," said Gluyas' attorney, Michael Parlow. "She's had this hanging over her head for a year. She's ready to get back to living her life."

Gluyas was arrested in April following an investigation into money that was allegedly missing from the Commerce Bank branch at 2751 Street Road. Bank officials contacted police after discovering that Gluyas' drawer was short by more than $8,000 on Feb. 25, 2003 - one day before Gluyas resigned.

The bank said its records also showed unusual activity on Gluyas' computer the day the money went missing, including a check cashed on an account that didn't exist.

But Parlow argued to the judge that records showed Gluyas had simply made a mistake that day and entered an account number that was just one number off from an existing account. Parlow also showed that Gluyas had submitted her resignation a week before the alleged theft and didn't "quit abruptly," as bank officials alleged.

"All these facts added up to reasonable doubt in my opinion," Parlow said.

Numerous family members and co-workers accompanied Gluyas, of Grass Pond Road, Bristol Township, in court. She now has a new job at another bank, Parlow said.

Reprinted with permission from Bucks County Courier Times