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Three charged in Decatur-area theft cases involving former employees

Three charged in Decatur-area theft cases involving former employees

Yahoo10-05-2025
May 10—Decatur police recently charged three people with theft after they allegedly were involved in two separate schemes to steal from their employers.
A Madison man and his son were charged with first-degree theft of property after allegedly keeping thousands of dollars collected from customers for contracting work and failing to return the money to the company that employed them, according to a Decatur police detective's affidavit.
The affidavit states that Griffin Scott Littlefield, 64, of Madison, and his son, Griffin Scott Littlefield II, 27, of Athens, were employed by an Athens-based construction company during May and June 2024.
"During those months, both of the Littlefields conducted multiple contracting jobs within the city of Decatur for the business," the affidavit said. "During those months, both Littlefields collected well over $2,500 from customers and withheld the money from the business before quitting."
In November 2024, the business owner contacted the Decatur Police Department to report the thefts, according to the affidavit.
The Littlefields stole approximately $60,000 from the Athens business, with nearly $8,000 of the theft reportedly occurring within Decatur city limits, according to the Decatur Police Department.
The Police Department said the younger Littlefield was located by the Athens Police Department on May 1 and placed under arrest for his active warrant, then transferred to the custody of Decatur police and placed in the Morgan County Jail. The elder Littlefield turned himself in to the Decatur Police Department on Tuesday and was booked into the Morgan County Jail.
They were released after each posted a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.
Another theft of property involving a theft from Discount Tobacco Outlet on Beltline Road Southwest occurred in June 2024, according to Decatur police, when a former employee of the business allegedly removed multiple business deposits from their safe, totaling over $2,000.
Trinity resident Amy Nicole Bridges, 52, was identified as the primary suspect in the theft and a warrant was issued for her arrest in August 2024, according to police. Police said she was arrested Wednesday by the Trinity Police Department on the warrant and charged with first-degree theft of property.
Bridges was booked into Morgan County Jail and held in lieu of a $5,000 bond and jail records show she bonded out Thursday.
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.
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Judges review requests to unseal Epstein file One big challenge for Bondi and the Trump administration as they push for more disclosures: Grand jury evidence traditionally remains confidential. U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach quickly refused to unseal the documents. The judge, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said the Bondi-led department's request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under federal law that could make them public. Rosenberg said her "hands are tied." U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in New York, another Obama appointee who presided over Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell's case, said there are exceptions to the secrecy rules but that Bondi hadn't invoked them. Engelmayer set a July 29 deadline for the government to explain why the disclosure is being sought, what specific information should be disclosed and whether grand jury witnesses are still alive. He also asked for a complete set of transcripts, a redacted version for potential release and a list of other evidence such as exhibits. Maxwell, an associate of Epstein who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for conspiring to sexually abuse minors, has until Aug. 5 to say whether she agrees to disclosure or opposes it. Victims face an Aug. 5 deadline to state their positions. 'The Court intends to resolve this motion expeditiously,' Engelmayer wrote. 'However, the Court cannot rule on the motion without additional submissions.' Federal prosecutors meet with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche - who previously served as Trump's private lawyer defending him in a series of criminal cases - met July 24 and 25 with Maxwell to find out what more she can say about her dealings with Epstein. 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