Library worker charged with theft

Associated Press

CUYAHOGA FALLS

A woman fired three months ago from her library job has been charged with stealing nearly $350,000, mostly in nickel and dime overdue book fines, since 2007.

Theresa Karm, 54, of Tallmadge, has been charged with theft in office involving the Cuyahoga Falls library near Akron. She was arrested Monday, three months after she was fired from her job keeping track of fines and fees.

No phone listing was found for Karm, who has a court appearance scheduled for Friday in Stow Municipal Court. A message seeking comment was left Thursday for her attorney listed in court documents.

Library director Kevin Rosswurm told the Akron Beacon Journal that Karm was questioned at least once in the past about the big drop in fines collected, from nearly $37,000 in 2005 to just over $11,000 in 2011.

Rosswurm said that during previous questioning, Karm seemed to adequately explain the decreased revenue and kept her job.

The library now requires two people to count money. “I think it’s a pretty secure system we have in place now,” Rosswurm said.

As deputy fiscal officer, Karm was responsible for collecting the library’s daily cash intake from late fees paid on books and other materials such as CDs and DVDs.

Fees range from 5 cents a day for a late book to 25 cents for a late DVD. The library circulates close to a million items a year.