An Illinois woman who worked as a guard at the State Penitentiary in Fort Madison has been charged with second-degree theft and felonious misconduct in office. Jeff Uhlmeyer of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation says 26-year-old Jennifer Leggett was a member of the Army Reserve and tried to get time off she was not due.
Uhlmeyer says Leggett had put in for military leave when no military leave ever existed for her. Uhlmeyer says the state paid Leggett of Niota, Illinois, for 11 days of leave that she was never on. He says she had filed for the fictitious leave on two separate occasions. Uhlmeyer says questions were first raised about Leggett in late 2009.
Uhlmeyer says the problem was discovered by the Department of Corrections human resources director in Fort Madison, and the department then did an internal investigation. The department then asked the D.C.I. to do an investigation. Leggett resigned from her job at the penitentiary on January 14th.
Information on the charges says Leggett altered Air Force leave documents to make fake Army orders for the fake leave. Leggett was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to a detachment of the 801st Combat Support Hospital out of Bartonville, Illinois.