Ex-mechanic gets prison for Seneca schools theft

8/15/2007

TIFFIN A former bus mechanic for Seneca East Local Schools was sentenced yesterday to one year in prison for using $20,000 in school funds to buy auto parts for his private business.

Todd Frankart, 44, of Bloomville, Ohio, had pleaded guilty in April to one count of theft in office, a third-degree felony. Before sentencing Frankart, Judge Michael Kelbley of Seneca County Common Pleas was told that Frankart had paid $21,098 in restitution to the school district and to the state of Ohio.

The state was owed $1,098 for unpaid sales tax on the unauthorized purchases.

Seneca County Prosecutor Ken Egbert, Jr., said Frankart used authority he had from the school district to purchase bus parts to buy parts for use in his own private auto repair business. He also used the district s gasoline credit card to fuel his personal vehicle.

The unauthorized purchases were made between 2002 and mid-2006.