Niles worker charged with theft

Staff report

NILES

Heidi Powell, former tax investigator in the city’s tax department, was arraigned Thursday in municipal court on a felony theft-in-office charge, accused of stealing $731 from her job. She is free on bond. She was not asked to enter a plea.

Niles police said an investigation determined that Powell, 33, of West Park Avenue, was taking payments from customers, providing a receipt, then deleting the payment from the computer and keeping the money. There were 11 thefts, police said. She was suspended from the job Wednesday.

A customer raised questions last week after a $50 payment for which she had a receipt had been deleted from the computer, said Niles Police Capt. Ken Criswell.

Powell also was convicted of misdemeanor theft in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court in April for stealing from her previous job.

A Bazetta Township Police report said she was accused of stealing $1,307 while working at the AT&T store, 2205 state Route 5.

The store owner reported the missing money Sept. 10, 2013, and Powell was charged with felony theft Oct. 23, 2013.

On April 11 this year, Judge Ronald Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court ordered her to make restitution and serve two years’ probation.