By Ashley Hungerford
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
AUSTELL - A former Austell municipal court employee, who is accused of stealing $121,280 from the city court, was arrested Monday.
Patricia Regina Wilcurt, a 10-year employee with the city of Austell, is charged with felony theft by taking and making false statements and writings to a government entity.
Cobb District Attorney Pat Head said those charges carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Head said Wilcurt could face additional charges including theft by taking by a fiduciary, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Wilcurt is in custody in Carroll County, said Nancy Bodiford with the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. Bodiford said Cobb has a hold on Wilcurt and will be picking her up from Carroll County "soon."
Austell Mayor Joe Jerkins said he's completely shocked by the situation. Austell's mayor for 20 years, Jerkins said he couldn't recall a similar situation in city history
"I had no idea that an employee would take this money from the city," he said. "Believe me, if I knew it was happening, I would have been on top of it."
He said the city auditor James Whittaker, in October, noticed a discrepancy in court records and deposit records of court fines. Following the auditors report, Jerkins said city officials began interviewing employees who dealt with the court deposits.
Wilcurt, who has been employed with the city since September 1999, has admitted to taking up to $20,000 to pay bills, Jerkins said.
She was placed on paid administrative leave last week until the auditor released his full report Monday, Jerkins said. Her average salary was $28,000.
The municipal court collects all the fines from tickets issued by the Austell Police Department and the city's code enforcement office.
Court staff would create a print off at the end of the day of all court fines collected and sort them by method of payment. A copy of that document was sent with the deposit to City Hall. The original stayed at the court.
A uniformed police officer escorted the court deposit each day from municipal court at the city's Threadmill Complex on Austell-Powder Springs Road to City Hall on Broad Street.
Jerkins said they believe Wilcurt was able to alter the documents that went with the deposit, thereby allowing her to take small amounts of cash over several years. Jerkins said they've been able to trace the activity to at least 2003, but it could have started earlier.
Jerkins said the city will now change how they deposit court fines, including depositing them directly into a bank that is at the Threadmill Complex. He said this incident has made the city smarter.
"From this point on, the finance director and the clerk of the court will see both records with the deposit," Jerkins said. "It will be checked by two people ... it won't happen this way again."
Head was complimentary of the city's response, and said this was a case of an individual who worked inside the system to his or her own personal gain.
"Every individual who works for a municipality or government ultimately works for the public," he said. "This was an individual working inside the system. They found a weak spot and were able to capitalize on that week spot."
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"I had no idea that an employee would take this money from the city," he said. "Believe me, if I knew it was happening, I would have been on top of it." Well duh. But it appears you are not on top of your city and allowed it to happen. Guess we know where to go to work to make a little extra pocket change. Come on Joe, are the people you hire that incapable of watching accounts? Shows the good old boy way of running a little southern town is alive and well.
hopefully they will get to the bottom of it and see if anyone else was involved. She admitted to some. Maybe that's all she took. Someone else may have very well taken some and not admitted to it. Why step forward when somone else can take the fall for you.
Ahh too bad.... Traffic fines gathered from Austell's speed traps are stolen by a dishonest employee. Is there no honor among thieves?
Perhaps if she was paid a livable wage, she would be able to pay her bills without stealing. After taxes she probably made about $500 a month. Shame on the city for paying their employees at poverty level.