A former long-time communications dispatch center supervisor at the Austin-Mower County Law Enforcement Center will be sentenced Oct.

Friday, September 15, 2000

A former long-time communications dispatch center supervisor at the Austin-Mower County Law Enforcement Center will be sentenced Oct. 20 on charges she stole money from the center’s funds.

Carla Jean Stoa of rural Austin will be sentenced in connection with the theft by embezzlement. Stoa appeared in Mower County Third Judicial District Court Thursday and entered a plea of guilty to two felony counts. Two other felony counts and one misdemeanor count will be dismissed, according to the plea agreement.

Stoa, 42, was terminated earlier this year after an investigation revealed money was missing from accounts she handled.

The Mower County Sheriff’s Department launched the initial investigation. However, the Steele County Sheriff’s Department took it over to avoid any hint of a conflict of interest. Stoa’s duties as the communications dispatch center supervisor included working with local law enforcement.

The special investigation division of the state auditor’s office became involved in November. An audit revealed the theft of monies from the Law Enforcement Center of monies collected for the Mower County Sheriff’s Department, the city of Austin and Mower County Third Judicial District and other courts.

When confronted with the results of the investigations and audit, Stoa admitted that for about one year she had cashed checks intended for the public accounts and kept the money.

The exact amount of missing money attributed to the embezzlement has never been revealed.

On Thursday, Stoa pled guilty to one count of felony theft by embezzlement of public funds between Nov. 1, 1998, and Nov. 5, 1999, in excess of $2,500 and another felony theft count of theft of less than $2,500.

Two felony theft counts of stealing in excess of $2,500 and a misdemeanor theft of under $200 were dismissed.