Intern at center of Laurean document theft released on $10K bond

By Laura Vesco
Reporter
Published: August 15, 2008

As Cesar Laurean, the man accused of murdering pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach, remains in a Mexican jail, new developments have the case back in the spotlight.

District attorney Dewey Hudson tells Nine On Your Side an intern for the district attorney’s office is being investigated for stealing documents dealing with the case.

Nine On Your Side’s Laura Vesco has been on top of these developments since they broke this morning.

She’s spoken to the intern in question.

Robert Sharpe tells Nine On Your Side that he is the intern being investigated by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department.

Sharpe says he will be charged with misdemeanor larceny.

Sharpe says, “I’m very disappointed with the Jacksonville Daily News.  I’m supposed to be a confidential source. They screwed me over and offered no help or assistance afterwards. I put my trust in this organization.”

Sharpe also says that he gave consent to the Sheriff’s Department for a search of his home.  Sharpe says they found nothing but says they have hundreds of documents.

According to the Jacksonville Daily News article, an undercover investigator called the paper saying he was a reporter for Newsweek.

The Jacksonville Daily News reporter then gave the intern’s number to the posed reporter with the intern’s permission.

Robert Sharpe was charged with one count of embezzlement and one count of misdemeanor larceny.

He’s released on an unsecured bond of $10,000.00 and is scheduled for a first court appearance on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, as we said before, Cesar Laurean is still awaiting extradition in Mexico.

His U.S. lawyer says he’s tried to contact Mexican authorities about where the extradition process stands, but he’s having a hard time getting answers.

Richard McNeil says he will be at the news conference later this afternoon as an observer.

We hope to talk to him then and we’ll bring you more tonight at Six.