A Yuba County District Attorney's Office investigator has been charged with embezzling from the office.

The charge against John Paul DeWoody Jr., 49, was filed Thursday in Yuba County Superior Court by the state Attorney General's Office.

DeWoody, a former Yuba County Sheriff's Department employee, was not booked into jail but was given a notice to appear Feb. 23 in Yuba County Superior Court for an arraignment, said District Attorney Pat McGrath.

According to the complaint signed by Deputy Attorney General Clifford E. Zall, DeWoody embezzled money between July 1, 2006, and May 31 of last year. The exact amount of the alleged theft was not specified.

Zall said DeWoody collected his full pay from the District Attorney's Office while being paid to teach at Yuba College, including courses at the school's police academy.

"Double dipping" is a fair way to characterize the theft, said Zall.

Zall said the theft was "significant" — a four-figure amount.

McGrath called the case "a shame. There's a lot of trust involved in our jobs. This shows that trust was violated."

McGrath said he could not comment further on the case. The investigation was handled by the Attorney General's Office, he said.

"We'd have a conflict of interest" if the District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case, McGrath said.

DeWoody has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment.

Contact Marysville Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.