Sentencing date set for woman in theft

Staff report

Youngstown

A Canfield woman will be sentenced Aug. 10 for stealing $30,000 from a neighbor whose house she used to clean.

Cheryl Balasko, 54, of Montgomery Drive, pleaded guilty June 21 before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney, of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, to a fourth-degree felony-theft charge. She pleaded through a bill of information, which means she bypassed the indictment process.

Balasko is accused of stealing $30,000 from a 56-year-old female neighbor whose house she cleaned, according to a police report.

Police said she stole the money from a small suitcase under the victim’s bed over a period of about two years. The victim told police she began saving cash several years ago for emergency use.

Police said they began investigating in February after the victim called the department to report that Balasko had been stealing from her.

In April, police said they executed a search warrant and found large amounts of designer clothes and accessories, as well as receipts for the purchases that showed Balasko paid with cash.

Receipts for those items as well as receipts for utilities and medical expenses totaled $11,163.37, the report said.

Balasko is scheduled for sentencing at 8 a.m. Aug. 10.

She could face up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. The prosecutor’s office recommended Balasko serve community control. They’ve also asked for a separate hearing to determine how much restitution Balasko will pay back to the victim, according to the bill of information.