Former Delta clerk sentenced for theft

DELTA — A former village utility clerk convicted of stealing $7,582 from Delta’s utilities fund was sentenced Tuesday in Fulton County Common Pleas Court to 30 days in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio and to two years of community control.

Pamela Parsons, 48, of Delta had pleaded no contest and was found guilty of to two counts of theft in office. The thefts occurred between Jan. 1 and April 10, 2009, according to reports from the Fulton County Prosecutor's Office.

Judge James E. Barber ordered Ms. Parsons to make restitution and pay court costs. She was ordered to begin her sentence on Jan. 30. Prosecutor Scott A. Haselman said failure to pay the fines and restitution could result in a 12-month prison term.

After the theft was discovered, Delta changed how utility funds are handled. The embezzlement also led to an a finding for recovery by the Ohio State Auditor’s Office against the clerk.

Village administrator Derek Allen said last month the discrepancy was uncovered by village officials, rather than during the state audit process.

Utility department account records had been manipulated to hide the thefts in such a way that no customers were double-billed, which would have called attention to the situation, he said.

After the investigation led village officials to the utility clerk’s office, the matter was referred to the Fulton County grand jury in January, 2010, and it handed up an indictment in July of that year.