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Adventure Island Worker Charged With Stealing $113,000

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 7, 2008

Updated: 07/07/2008 01:00 pm

Stephen Andrew Boucher

TAMPA - An Adventure Island manager has embezzled more than $113,000 from the company since May 2007, police say.

Officers arrested Stephen Andrew Boucher, 28, at 4 p.m. Sunday.

On Sunday, a detective working in an extra-duty capacity was told that Boucher was stealing money from register tills. The detective worked with Busch Gardens' loss prevention investigators, using security video to watch Boucher.

While Boucher was being watched, he stole $1,500 from three different registers, a police report states.

Boucher "also agreed to relinquish a quantity of the stolen money that he had hidden within his residence," according to the report. "Defendant Boucher was transported to his residence," where $6,217 was recovered.

Boucher was charged with scheming to defraud and grand theft of $100,000 or more.

Police say Boucher voided cash sales and removed the cash amount.

His actions "represented a systematic, on-going course of conduct intended on depriving Adventure Island/Busch Gardens of their money," a criminal arrest affidavit states.

Boucher has been a supervisor of operations at Adventure Island since June 2007 and has been employed by the park since February 2003, according to Busch Gardens spokeswoman Jill Revelle.

He has been suspended, she said.

"Busch Entertainment Corporation has zero tolerance for theft and takes these matters very seriously," Revelle wrote in an e-mail to the Tribune. "We are working closely with the Tampa Police Department to help them determine the circumstances of this situation. The ongoing investigation restricts us from making further comments at this time."

Boucher's bail was set at $30,000. He has been released.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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