Ex-utility chief admits theft of $384,607

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) -- A former billing and collection manager in the Fairfield city utility department has admitted that she stole at least $384,607 in an eight-year period.
Mary Lawson, 46, entered her plea Thursday to charges of theft in office and tampering with records in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
She said she took cash payments made to the department between 1997 and July 2005, when she resigned after being told that auditors had found discrepancies in department records.
She could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined up to $20,000 at her June 30 sentencing. Her attorney says she will work out a repayment plan.
Customers now make payments to the city's bank rather than to utility department employees.