Kimble Goodman, the former treasurer of the Benicia Old Town Theatre Group, has been arraigned on one felony count of embezzlement.

At his most recent appearance, Feb. 20, Goodman’s case was continued again until 8:30 a.m. April 17, the date of his readiness conference and trial setting before Judge Tim P. Kam. The conference will take place in Solano County Superior Court, 321 Tuolumne St., Vallejo.

Dan Clark, BOTTG president, said Goodman and his attorney have asked for time to consider an offer made in the case, as well as additional time to get money to pay a portion of the restitution he promised earlier to the theater company.

“There’s a certain theatrical symmetry to that date,” Clark said. “We discovered the theft on March 15, 2013, the Shakespearean ‘Ides of March.’

“April 17 is opening night for our spring production, ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner.’ It would great if the case were to resolve, and us receive some money, on that date!”

The case began when members of the theater company’s board of directors discovered BOTTG bank accounts were empty or overdrawn, and that checks sent for production royalty rights had bounced.

The board scrambled to keep its productions on schedule at a time BOTTG had planned to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Negotiations with performance rights companies, public donations and money from other sources kept the theater group going despite the loss of thousands of dollars.

In the meantime, Benicia police conducted an investigation and issued a warrant for the arrest of Goodman, who previously had a career with Wells Fargo Bank, had been the BOTTG treasurer since 2010 and had been chairperson of the Benicia Economic Development Board as well as an honored member of South Solano County Democrats.

Goodman was arrested April 16, 2013, and accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the theater company’s several accounts.

At a Dec. 20, 2013 readiness conference, he said he would plead no contest to the charge and start paying back the loss. Since then, however, he has changed attorneys several times, and each of his lawyers has asked for continuances at the multiple subsequent hearings.

BOTTG officers have said the exact losses haven’t been determined, since records also are missing.

During Goodman’s Jan. 30 appearance, Deputy District Attorney Leo Mangoba said he had offered Goodman 120 days in jail and the opportunity to pay back $10,973.50 in restitution.

Clark at the time disputed that figure, though that was the amount documented that day as missing theater money. He is contending the loss is closer to $20,000.

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