POLAND – A Leeds woman has been indicted on charges that she stole more than $10,000 from Safe Approach, a Poland company that designs safety equipment for emergency departments, while she worked there.

A pair of Androscoggin County grand jury indictments charge that 41-year-old Jan A. Mulherin wrote checks to herself from the company account between February 2003 and December 2006. A second charge alleges she wrote checks to school and sports organizations from the Safe Approach account in excess of $1,000.

Mulherin is charged with two counts of theft by unauthorized taking and has been summoned to appear in court to answer the charges.

The case is being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office.

The company, owned by Roger Dargie, of Poland, designs and builds safety equipment for businesses and emergency agencies across the country. This year, it designed an aluminum platform for a boat used by Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office divers, making it easier for the divers to get into and out of the water.

Mulherin is no longer working for the company.

“She was using our friendship and trust to benefit herself financially and that’s wrong,” Dargie said Monday. “It’s very sad. We pride ourselves on taking care of our employees. Jan cheated not only the company but her fellow employees.”

Dargie said he was in contact with the A.G.’s Office over a period of months during the investigation.

The A.G.’s Office handled the investigation because Mulherin is married to Auburn police Lt. Kevin Mulherin. District Attorney Norm Croteau said his office handed the investigation over because of its close working relationship with the Auburn Police Department.

“It’s not unusual, if there is the potential for the appearance of a conflict, for us to have the Attorney General’s Office investigate,” Croteau said.

An Auburn police official said their department had no involvement in the investigation and declined to comment on the case.