WQIO Ohio's Super Station
A former utility clerk for the Village of Ashley will spend 180 days in jail after being convicted of stealing more than $70,000 in utility payments.
Allison McClain was sentenced Monday in Delaware County Common Pleas Court following her guilty pleas to felony counts of theft in office and telecommunications fraud.
In addition to the jail sentence, McClain was ordered to pay $153,333.72 in restitution and audit costs. She must also complete four years of community control and make minimum monthly payments toward the restitution.
The case began after the Village of Ashley identified discrepancies involving utility deposits.
The Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit investigated those discrepancies and determined McClain had stolen utility payments totaling more than $70,000 between August 2022 and May 2024.
McClain pleaded guilty in July.
Because of her conviction, she is also barred from holding public office.
The Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office appointed an attorney from the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit to serve as special prosecutor in the case.
The investigation began after the village noticed that money collected for utility bills was not being deposited as expected.
The suspected theft was previously reported after an upgrade to the village’s utility billing software revealed discrepancies in cash payments. Village officials conducted an internal investigation before notifying the Auditor of State’s office.
McClain resigned after she was questioned about the discrepancies.
At the time the allegations became public, Ashley Mayor David Lockhart said the village had taken steps to prevent similar problems from occurring in the future.
The village also said residents’ utility accounts were not improperly affected by the suspected mismanagement of cash payments.
The case is part of the Ohio Auditor of State’s broader work investigating suspected financial misconduct involving public agencies.
Since 2019, the Auditor’s Special Investigations Unit says it has assisted in 166 convictions resulting in more than $17.9 million in restitution.
The office receives hundreds of tips each year involving suspected fraud or misuse of public funds.
The Auditor of State’s office is responsible for auditing more than 5,900 state and local government agencies across Ohio and also conducts investigations involving suspected fraud in public agencies.
The Ashley case serves as another example of how discrepancies discovered during routine financial operations can lead to a broader state investigation and criminal prosecution.
