Columbus – The former program administrator of the Soil and Water Conservation District of Paulding County was indicted on theft in office and tampering with records charges.

Coral Fetzer was indicted by a Paulding County grand jury on a theft in office charge (third-degree felony) for allegedly taking cash from residents making payments to the district, as well as stealing payments made by those renting space at the Black Swamp Nature Center. The payments were in excess of $7,500, investigators said. The tampering with records charge is a fifth-degree felony.

The investigation and audit was handled by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost’s Public Integrity Assurance Team. 

“Too often, we see government employees taking advantage of weaknesses in the system,” Auditor Yost said. “We’ve been working with local officials to identify and strengthen financial controls. Maybe this case, and others like it, will convince those tempted to steal from the public that they will be caught and prosecuted.”

In November, Auditor Yost’s office issued a report, Pocketed Payments: Preventing the theft of incoming funds, to raise awareness for the issue and to provide guidance on how to address it. 

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 6,000 state and local government agencies.  Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.

Contact:
Beth Gianforcaro
Press Secretary
614-644-1111