Colona worker charged with theft of more than $4,000

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By Dustin Lemmon | Wednesday, October 25, 2006 1:04 AM CDT | () comments

COLONA, Ill. — A community service officer with 24 years of service in this Henry County community has been charged with stealing more than $4,000 in city funds.

Police Chief Tim Krebs said Maria Martin, a full-time employee, resigned Tuesday morning before a felony theft charge was filed in Henry County Circuit Court.

Martin, who lives in Rapids City, Ill., had worked for the community since 1982, first for the City of Green Rock and then for Colona starting in 1998 after the two cities merged.

Krebs said the theft was discovered after a review of city finances showed some missing funds dating to May 1. He said Martin was responsible for enforcing city ordinances and transferring administrative fees for finger-printing and city code violations from the police department to City Hall.

Krebs and Mayor Dan McDaniel said the city is conducting audits dating back three years to ensure that more funds were not stolen.

Krebs said Martin was remorseful, but did not explain why she allegedly stole the money.

“We were all friends with Maria,” McDaniel said. “It’s just unfortunate that this happened.”

Krebs said city leaders will discuss the future of the community service officer position to decide whether any changes will be made. He said steps already have been taken to ensure that a similar theft does not occur in the future.

“The taxpayers need to know that the checks and balances work,” he said, referring to steps taken by the city to catch discrepancies in city funds.

McDaniel said he is disappointed.

“We’d like to express our apologies to the citizens and taxpayers of Colona,” he said. “We expect nothing but the best of our employees.”

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.