Former Addyston clerk ordered to repay stolen utility payments

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A former Hamilton County clerk who stole residents' utility payments for more than three years was fined Thursday by the state auditor.

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber issued a $40,784 fine against Jackie Buchert, the former water board clerk for the Village of Addyston who was indicted last year for pocketing into her personal bank account residents' water and sewer payments, the auditor's office said in a news release.

Although a Hamilton County court ultimately dismissed Buchert's theft from office and tampering with records charges in March -- finding her incompetent to stand trial -- Faber said she has yet to pay back the $40,000 in misappropriated funds.

Buchert, who was hired by the village in July 2015, was responsible for collecting residents' and commercial users' monthly utility payments for water and sewer services, according to the auditor's office. She resigned from the position in May 2019.

From January 2016 to May 2019, the auditor's office found discrepancies in the village's payment records and bank deposits. A review of Buchert's personal bank account revealed deposits of unknown sources of money, the auditor's office said.