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Alabama prison employee charged with stealing nearly $50,000

A Calhoun County Jail employee was arrested after an audit by the Sheriff's Office found tens of thousands of dollars missing.Earlier this year, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office was audited by the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts Office as required by law.The audit found a delay in deposits that resulted in an “alert” and shortly thereafter a vendor reported a delay in payment. This led to a more thorough investigation.>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube It was then discovered that deposits were made several weeks late and that account balances did not cover liabilities. An additional audit by the Examiners' Office found $47,036.20 missing from the account.Following the audit, Allyson Smith, the jail's accountant, was arrested and charged with first-degree theft. Sheriff Matthew Wade said she willingly admitted to stealing a portion of the weekly cash deposits. The jail warden, Smith's immediate supervisor, was fired from his post following the arrest for “lack of supervision.” The affected account has since been restored through an insurance claim and the public accounts examiner has closed its investigation.>> WVTM 13 ON THE GO: Download our app for free”The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency,” Wade wrote. “We have taken decisive action to address this issue and have implemented stronger safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future. We appreciate the diligence of the Alabama Public Accounts Examiner's Office and will continue to work closely with our partners and the community to maintain the trust placed in us.” Wade reports that “employee handling of cash” will be reduced in the future.

CALHOUN COUNTY, Alabama —

A Calhoun County Jail employee was arrested after an audit by the Sheriff's Office revealed tens of thousands of dollars were missing.

Earlier this year, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office was audited by the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts Office, as required by law.

The audit revealed a delay in deposits, which led to an “alert,” and shortly thereafter a supplier reported a payment delay. This led to a more thorough investigation.

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Then it turned out that deposits were several weeks late and that account balances did not cover liabilities. An additional audit by the Audit Office revealed that $47,036.20 was missing from the account.

After the audit, Allyson Smith, the prison accountant, was arrested and charged with first-degree theft. Sheriff Matthew Wade said she readily admitted to stealing a portion of the weekly cash deposits.

The prison warden, Smith's direct supervisor, was fired from his position following the arrest for “lack of supervision.”

The affected account has now been restored through an insurance claim and the Examiners of Public Accounts have completed their investigation.

>> WVTM 13 ON THE GO: Download our app for free

“The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency,” Wade wrote. “We have taken decisive action to address this issue and have implemented stronger safeguards to prevent such incidents in the future. We appreciate the diligence of the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts Office and will continue to work closely with our partners and the community to maintain the trust placed in us.”

Wade reports that “employee interaction with currencies” will be reduced in the future.

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