Former county employee faces 59 counts

Formal charges were filed Friday against a Fort Scott woman accused of stealing funds from Bourbon County while she was employed in the County Clerk's Office.

Angela Marie Timi, 28, is charged with one count of misuse of public funds, two counts of forgery, 16 counts of making false information, 20 counts of criminal use of a financial card, and 20 counts of theft.

She was arrested at about 11:15 a.m. Thursday by investigators from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and officers from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office at an undisclosed location in Fort Scott. She is being held in the Southeast Kansas Correctional Center on no bond. No court appearance had been set as of Friday.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the Bourbon County District Court by County Attorney Terri Johnson, Timi allegedly used "public money in a manner not authorized by law, by a custodian or other person having control of public money by virtue of such person's official position."

The amount of funds is described in the complaint as "at least $1,000, but less than $25,000."

The two forgery charges stem from a July 25, 2012 incident when Timi allegedly forged a check on a Bourbon County account. The complaint alleges Timi "did unlawfully and with the intent to defraud, deliver a written instrument, to-wit: Check ... bearing Bourbon County as the owner(s) of the account, knowing that said written instrument had been made, altered or endorsed in such a manner that it purports to have been made, altered or endorsed by Bourbon County, who did not authorize the making, altering or endorsing of said written instrument."

The 16 charges of making false information stem from alleged incidents that occurred between July 25 and Dec. 26, 2012. Timi is accused of, during those times, drawing "a written instrument, entry in a book of account or an electronic data entry, (checks) with the knowledge that such information falsely states or represents some material matter, or is not what it purports to be, and done with the intent to defraud, to obstruct the detection of a theft or felony offense, or to induce official action."

The dollar amount of these checks is not indicated on the criminal complaint.

For the 20 counts of criminal use of a financial card, the criminal complaint states Timi allegedly used a credit card belonging to Bourbon County. An Aug. 30, 2012, Timi allegedly used the card to pay a total of $483.88 to Dish network over a five-month period, a total of $1,221.84 to Westar Energy over a five-month period, $98 to Nashville New Years, $250 to Verizon Wireless, and a total of $1,034.56 to Walmart in eight instances.

The 20 counts of theft coincide with the 20 counts of criminal use of a financial card.

According to the criminal statement, the count of misuse of public funds is a severity level 9 nonperson felony, carrying a minimum penalty of seven months and maximum of 17 months.

Each count of making false information is a severity level 8 nonperson felony, which carries a minimum of seven months and maximum of 23 months.

Each count of criminal use of a financial card and theft is a Class A nonperson misdemeanor. The criminal complaint statement does not indicate possible penalties for these.

Bourbon County officials announced during a special meeting Jan. 3, 2013, the county was pursuing a criminal investigation against a former non-elected employee of the Bourbon County Clerk's office. The employee at the time was terminated for misconduct, and an investigation began for alleged employee theft.

Attending the January 2013 commission meeting were commissioners Harold Coleman, Allen Warren and Jingles Endicott, County Attorney Terri Johnson, Assistant County Attorney Valorie Leblanc and then sheriff Ron Gray, along with Bourbon County Clerk Kendell Mason.

The investigation was led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Timi was employed as a payroll clerk with the Bourbon County Clerk's Office from August 2011 until she was terminated in January 2013.