Melissa Kay Grawey of Petoskey MI sent to jail for 11 months for embezzlement

A Petoskey woman was sentenced Monday in 57th Circuit Court to serve the next 11 months in jail for embezzlement. Melissa Kay Grawey, 42, was alleged in February of 2009 to have embezzled more than $94,000 from her former employer, Northern Dental Group PC in Pellston, during a two-and-a-half year period. She was originally charged with seven felony counts, including one count of embezzlement between $50,000 and $100,000, a 15-year felony; three counts of forgery and three counts of uttering and publishing, each of which are 14-year felonies; however, these charges were dismissed once Grawey took a plea agreement from the Emmet County Prosecutor’s Office. On Nov. 24, during a hearing in circuit court, Grawey pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement, $20,000 or more, which is a 10-year felony, while the remaining charges against her were dropped. During Grawey’s sentencing Monday, both dentists from Northern Dental Group, Dr. William Gillette and Dr. Eric Hayhurst, as well as several employees from their practice, attended to speak out about the impact of this crime on their business. “I could not do justice to (Dr. Gillette’s) words, but he conveyed, very well, that the impact on the business was felt by every employee,” said Duane Beach, chief assistant prosecutor for Emmet County. “That the monetary impact was just one aspect of the loss suffered by the business …”