MANSFIELD, Ohio – An employee of the Richland County Treasurer’s office was indicted on charges of theft in office, tampering with records and passing bad checks by the Richland County Grand Jury in July.
Butler resident Jennifer Adams, 39, is charged with six counts of passing bad checks while an employee with the Richland County Treasurer’s office. Richland County Assistant Prosecutor Brandon Pigg explained the charges stem from an allegation that she wrote bad checks addressed to the treasurer’s office six times within the time frame of Jan. 1, 2008 and April 1, 2015.
“Those checks were cashed but then came back as insufficient funds,” said Pigg. “The allegation is that with her position at the treasurer’s office she kept that secret, the fact that they were coming back with insufficient funds.”
Pigg explained the theft in office charge stems from the overall money taken, the tampering with records charge stems from when the notices came back that there were insufficient funds on the checks, and the passing bad checks charges come from the actual writing of the checks.
Theft in office and tampering with records are both felonies of the third degree; four of the passing bad checks charges were fifth-degree felonies due to the amounts being in excess of $1,500 but less than $7,500 and two of the charges were misdemeanors due to the amounts being less than $1,500.
Pigg stated the incident came to light in the Richland County Treasurer’s office when some irregularities were noticed this past March. A subsequent investigation found the prior irregularities as well.
Pigg could not comment on Adams’ employment status with the Richland County Treasurer’s office at present.
