Columbus - The wife of Harrison Township’s fiscal officer stole and forged township checks to the tune of $34,337 according to the audit released today by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

“This is an incredible violation of the public trust,” Auditor Yost said. “This office is cooperating fully with the Gallia County prosecutor to bring the defendant to justice.”

Over the course of several years, Brenda Cremeens, wife of Harrison Township Fiscal Officer Terry Cremeens, took township checks and forged signatures of the fiscal officer and township trustees to illegally convert township funds for personal use. In addition, she tampered with bank statements to conceal this theft. Bank statements from October 2006 through December 2009 showed that Mrs. Cremeens stole a total of $34,337 from Harrison Township. Terry and Brenda Cremeens, as well as the bonding company, are held jointly and severally liable for the total amount of findings for recovery.

In January of 2011, Mrs. Cremeens pled not guilty to charges of theft. A jury trial is set for May 11, 2011.

As of February 24, 2011, Terry Cremeens paid $3,328.92 to the Harrison Township General Fund as partial restitution.

A full copy of this audit is available online.

The Auditor of State is one of five independently elected offices under the Ohio Constitution. Auditor Yost’s office is responsible for auditing over 5,600 state and local government agencies. Staff also works in partnership with state and local governments to deal effectively with financial, accounting and budgetary issues.

Contact:
Carrie Bartunek
Press Secretary
(614) 728-7198