LOGAN, W.Va. (AP) — A former utility clerk in West Virginia has been given probation and ordered to pay restitution for funds she failed to deposit in the town’s bank account, the state auditor’s office said.
Sherry Sansom, 51, of Accoville, pleaded guilty to falsifying accounts related to theft from utility deposits she collected for the town of Man, the auditor’s office said.
Circuit Judge Eric O’Briant sentenced Sansom on Wednesday to one to 10 years in prison suspended for seven years of supervised probation. She was ordered to repay the town restitution of $166,096.
The court appointed the auditor’s office as special prosecutor.
The auditor’s office said Sansom expressed remorse and blamed use of prescription painkillers for her actions.
Sansom’s attorney, Tim DiPiero, said his client entered rehabilitation on her own when it was discovered funds were missing, according to a news release from the auditor’s office.