Three former employees of a now defunct transportation service in Jasper County are named in a state audit that turned up nearly $154,000 in questionable spending and undeposited collections. State Auditor David Vaudt says Mark Ackerman served as the executive director of Jasper County Transit.
He says about $108,000 is directly tied to Ackerman’s activities. Jasper County Transit was in business between April 2004 and April 2006. Vaudt says Ackerman was simply taking money from J-C-T and putting it in his pockets.
"A great deal of it was withdrawls from Jasper County Transit’s checking account in the form of cash or checks made out to ‘cash’ and used for personal purposes," Vaudt said. "Mr. Ackerman was even using the Jasper County Transit account to pay for his own personal rent."
According to the audit, the improper disbursements included more than $14,000 paid to a another company owned by Ackerman and his wife. Vaudt says the couple operated a consulting business. Lesser amounts of improper spending are attributed to J-C-T’s former bookkeeper Susan Reese and board member Ray Sprague. The report has been filed with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office for possible charges.