Former clerk indicted in sheriff’s office theft

Woman alleged to have stolen $17,000

4/26/2013

A former clerk for the civil division of the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office has been indicted on charges she stole more than $17,000 from the office.

Tina Tardich, 49, of Swanton was indicted by a Lucas County grand jury this week for grand theft and theft in office stemming from checks she allegedly wrote to her ex-husband and another family member from an account for unclaimed funds.

She is to appear before Common Pleas Judge Myron Duhart for arraignment at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

According to the sheriff’s office, Ms. Tardich was employed there from March 31, 1997, to Aug. 1, 2011, when she resigned without giving a reason. She spent her entire tenure with the sheriff’s office in the civil division at the courthouse, which oversees mortgage and tax foreclosures, sheriff’s sales, and serves civil papers to residents in the county.

Sheriff John Tharp said the unauthorized checks were discovered by another clerk shortly after he took office in January, and he immediately asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to look into the matter.

“It’s serious. I took it seriously,” he said. “That’s why I wanted BCI to look at it. I didn’t want to have any influences one way or the other.”

Lt. Sue Levitt, who is in charge of the civil division, said Ms. Tardich was authorized to write checks, although she should have written checks only when the office received a court order to do so.

“There were no checks and balances with what she was doing,” Lieutenant Levitt said, adding the office now has computer software it uses to run a report every two weeks that shows every check written and the corresponding court order. Both Lieutenant Levitt and Sheriff Tharp said Ms. Tardich was good at her job.

“She was a very knowledgeable employee,” the sheriff said.