Ex-Tippecanoe County staffer ordered to pay $900K over theft

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – A judge has ordered a former Indiana county employee to pay more than $900,000 in restitution and fines for stealing money while in that job.

Kerri Smith of Lafayette was charged in January with stealing almost $325,000 between 2005 and 2014 while an employee of the Tippecanoe County clerk’s office.

The (Lafayette) Journal & Courier reported Monday that a county judge granted the state attorney general’s office request for triple damages against Smith in a lawsuit over the missing public funds. The order says that Smith hasn’t responded to the lawsuit.

Smith pleaded guilty in April to felony theft charges and her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 20.

Court records don’t list an attorney representing Smith in the lawsuit and no telephone number was listed in her name.

Never miss another Facebook post from WISH-TV