WILLMAR -- A felony theft charge for taking public funds has been filed against the Kandiyohi County veterans service officer.
The charge was filed Monday in Kandiyohi County District Court against Trisha Lynn Appeldorn, 34, of Pennock, for taking $214 in bus money. Her first court appearance is March 13.
Appeldorn was placed on paid administrative le-ave the last week of January "pending the outcome of the criminal investigation," said Kandiyohi County Administrator Larry Kleindl on Tuesday.
An employment investigation will also take place, he said.
Because of state Data Practices Act restrictions on what types of employment data are public, Kleindl said he could not comment further on the case.
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According to the complaint, a Willmar police detective met Jan. 25 with Kleindl regarding missing funds from the veterans service office. Kleindl explained that veterans pay $10 per trip, given to the bus driver, to ride a county bus to the Veterans Affairs hospital. The bus driver in turn would give the cash and checks to the veterans service office on a daily basis. Then the funds would be turned over to the county auditor for deposit.
Kleindl had been advised that there had been no deposits since June 2007 and told the detective that Appeldorn had showed up in his office that morning of Jan. 25 with a big wad of cash.
The detective met with both Kleindl and Appeldorn later the same day. Appeldorn explained that she had simply been putting the envelopes with the bus receipts in a drawer and that she didn't get around to making up the deposits and taking them to the auditor's office. She further explained that she had taken all of the materials home the night before and got everything together and then brought the money into Kleindl's office.
On Jan. 28, the detective was informed by County Auditor Sam Modderman that the $2,284 that had been turned in was $214 short of the $2,498 in receipts issued by the bus driver.
On Jan. 30, the detective met with Appeldorn, who admitted that she had taken small amounts of money from the bus receipts and that the total must have been around $200.
Willmar city attorney Rich Ronning has been named a special assistant county attorney to prosecute the case, according to Connie Crowell, first assistant county attorney.
The Veterans Service Office, located on the second floor of the Health and Human Services building, continues to be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to provide services to veterans, Kleindl said Tuesday. An assistant in the office is handling much of the paperwork. Veterans service officers from other counties are also providing assistance when necessary.
"At this point, things are being taken care of," Kleindl said. "We're still providing services."
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The Kandiyohi County Commissioners have been informed that an investigation is under way, said Kleindl. He did know if commissioners had been informed that a criminal case had been filed.
The commissioners have had high praise for Appeldorn since she was hired in the summer of 2006. The number of veterans being served through the county office has increased during her tenure, and the benefits received by county veterans has increased.
