Charges are filed against the mayor and former city clerk of the Winnebago County town of Scarville after a special state audit into the city’s finances. Mayor Michelle Hermanson as well as former city clerk Jolene Carter have both been charged with first-degree theft, felonious misconduct in office, and falsifying public documents, according to a written statement from county attorney Adam Sauer.
The arrests come after State Auditor David Vaudt released a report late last month saying that Hermanson misused thousands of dollars of grant money that was supposed to be used to renovate the city’s basketball and tennis courts, using it to pay personal bills.
It also found that she kept $800 from the sale of a city tractor, wrote other checks to herself and used city money for gas in her personal vehicle. The report also found that Carter issued 20 paychecks to herself totaling nearly $8,000 that she didn’t earn and wrote dozens of other checks to herself that appeared to be questionable.
Both women voluntarily turned themselves in to authorities and have posted $10,000 bond.
By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City