Cheryl Barrett will not have to serve a prison term for stealing money from Mower County.

District Judge Fred A. Wellmann accepted Barrett's guilty plea to felony theft charges. The defendant was sentenced Friday in Mower County Third Judicial District Court.

A 21-month prison term was stayed and Barrett was placed on supervised probation for up to 10 years and ordered to write a letter of apology to Mower County, her former employer.

In addition she was given 90 days of electronic home monitoring at her own expense beginning June 7.

Barrett is also responsible for restitution in the amount of $55,483, including $25,934 repayment to a bonding company and $29,578 to Mower County.

She can appeal the restitution order, but must do it within 30 days, according to Wellmann.

Barrett stood beside her defense attorney Evan Larson, but had no comment for the court.

Prosecutors Patrick A. Oman, Mower County Attorney, and Lee Bjorndal, a city attorney, told the judge they would abide by the pre-sentencing investigation report by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Margene Gunderson, community health director for Mower County, addressed her comments in the courtroom to the defendant.

Gunderson said "It has been a very challenging two years in the Mower County Public Health Nursing Service department" since Barrett's theft of monies was discovered.

The actions of the former public health nurse left her colleagues with feelings of "hurt, disappointment and disbelief."

Gunderson said she hopes Barrett "will not take lightly the chaos she caused."

Watching the courtroom proceedings were Al Cordes, Mower County human resources director, Craig Oscarson, county coordinator, and former co-workers of Barrett's in the Mower County Department of Human Services and PHN.

Oscarson told reporters after the sentencing, "I think the county is disappointed there was no jail time." He said, "As was stated in the victims impact statements to the court, a sentence like this doesn't send the right message when somebody steads public funds as she admitted doing."

Barrett's case was the third incident, involving a county employee accused of stealing public funds in the last three years.

Previously, a former Austin-Mower County law enforcement center communications supervisor was found guilty. She, too, did not serve jail time, but was ordered to make restitution.

Last year, another county employee in the data processing department also was found guilty of theft by embezzlement. In addition to restitution, he received a short jail sentence.

Oscarson said Mower County has taken steps to ensure others thefts, like Barrett's and the other two former employees, will not reoccur.

However, he added, "If there's a will, there's a way, they always say."

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com