Paige Johnna Eldred, 29, of Lusby
A Lusby woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to theft charges related to stolen funds from a charity initiative at the Calvert County Detention Center.
Paige Johnna Eldred, 29, of Lusby, was convicted of theft of $100 to under $1,500, a misdemeanor, following an investigation into missing funds from the facility’s “No Shave November” charity program.
According to court documents, on December 3, 2024, authorities at the detention center discovered that funds collected for the charity program—where staff members paid a $50 fee to participate—had gone missing. The money had been stored in a drawer in Captain K. Cross’s office, which had restricted access.
On November 27, 2024, Captain Cross noticed that $500 was missing from the collected $950. He initially refrained from reporting the loss, hoping the money would be returned. However, by December 2, 2024, the remaining funds had also disappeared.
During questioning, Eldred initially denied involvement but later admitted to taking the money. She stated that she had used the funds to pay rent and planned to return it. She was unable to specify the total amount stolen but acknowledged placing some money back in Captain Cross’s drawer after realizing an investigation was underway.
At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that $420 remained unaccounted for.
A warrant was subsequently issued for her arrest, and she was formally charged with:
Theft: $100 to under $1,500 (two counts)
Theft scheme: $1,500 to under $25,000
Her case proceeded to the District Court for Calvert County, where she pleaded guilty on February 24, 2025 before Judge Michelle R. Saunders.
She was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with all but 20 days suspended. Additionally, she was placed on 18 months of unsupervised probation.
Paige Johnna Eldred, 29, of Lusby
