ISP: Former Posey Co. sheriff's secretary stole thousands to pay down credit card debt

MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — An audit of the Posey County Sheriff’s Office revealed that a former secretary stole thousands of dollars in bond payments, money she allegedly used to pay down her credit card debt.

A warrant was issued Thursday for the arrest of 42-year-old Trinity Tucker of Mount Vernon, Indiana, on four preliminary theft charges.

Tucker reportedly used a scheme known as check-for-cash substitution, which involves stealing cash from bond payments and substituting unrecorded checks in its place.

"There were some discrepancies in a bond, and there were some questions raised from the courts as to where this bond was," said Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham, who took office on the first of this year. "It was discovered that the bond had not been deposited."

Tucker was questioned and ultimately resigned.

According to a probable cause affidavit from Indiana State Police, she withheld 75 deposits over the course of almost four years. The alleged theft started in January 2015 and ended in December 2018.

An audit of the Posey County Sheriff’s Office determined she stole a total of $21,089.62 during that time. She was credited after final review by the State Board of Accounts with $2,477.25.

Tucker told police she didn’t keep track of how much money she took but paid some of it back.

Restitution would also include the cost of the $14,000 audit, which brings the total owed to just over $33,000.

Tucker became secretary in February 2002 and held the position until her resignation this February.

Tucker was arrested around 3:45 p.m. Thursday after surrendering at Posey County's jail, according to state police. She was released after posting bond.

Greg Oeth, who was sheriff when the alleged theft occurred, called it "a very unfortunate situation." He told the Courier & Press he was surprised when he first heard about the reportedly stolen funds. 

He said there could always be more controls in place to oversee how money's managed, but he said he didn't know many details about this particular case. 

Latham, the current sheriff, said there are new protections to prevent a similar incident from happening again. Two people now oversee the books, and the employee who creates the deposit ticket can't make the deposit.

"Those types of things were in place Jan. 1 when I took office," he said. "‘There’s checks and balances in place."

According to the audit, there were internal control weaknesses that contributed to Tucker's ability to substitute checks replacing cash. Records also showed that Tucker failed to write receipts and account for all money received furthering her ability to cover up with checks replacing cash, among other weaknesses.

"There was not effective oversight conducted in relation to Tucker's position from another Sheriff's Department employee," the audit stated.

The audit report said "an integral part of the control activity component is segregation of duties . . . There is an expectation of segregation of duties."

More:3 Evansville TJ Maxx employees arrested, accused of stealing $400 in merchandise per day

More:Edgewater Grille restaurant in Newburgh to be sold

More:Curt Hopf's family seeks injunction in hopes of restoring son's eligibility at Barr-Reeve