A nearly three-month audit undertaken after the arrest of former North Vernon City Utilities manager Robin Jones has been concluded.
Jones, 41, 6315 E. County Road 500N, North Vernon, was arrested Aug. 17 on charges of theft and misconduct by a public official, both Level 6 felonies.
North Vernon clerk-treasurer Shawn Gerkin said an audit taken by the Indiana State Board of Accounts “exhausted every possible way money could have been stolen.”
Besides the audit, the city brought in an information technology specialist to do a thorough examination of Jones’ computer in order to help get an accurate assessment of how much money is missing, Gerkin said.
While state accountants have come up with a final amount of missing money, that amount has not yet been made public. That’s because auditors still have a final exit interview to conduct before closing the books, Gerkin said.
Examiners are expected to first send a final report to Jennings County Prosecutor Brian Belding before the amount is made public, Gerkin said.
After Jones’ arrest, Gerkin initially estimated about $6,000 was taken. Missing funds in the Robin Jones case date back to Dec. 1, 2014, court records state. Jones’ arrest was made after she signed a confession, Gerkin said.
A tentative trial date for Jones has been scheduled for 9 a.m. April 4 by Jennings Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Webster. The judge also has set Feb. 10 as a deadline to reach a plea agreement.
