A former Starke County Sheriff's Department employee has been sentenced after she plead guilty to federal wire fraud earlier this year.
The United States Department of Justice shared that Pamela McDonald, 41, of Knox, was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to pay $21,280.42 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty.
Court documents state McDonald worked as the “jail matron” at the Starke County Jail.
Her duties at the jail included paying invoices with funds from the jail commissary account. It was discovered that between August 15, 2022, and May 15, 2023, McDonald made at least 19 unauthorized withdrawals, pocketing at least $20,621.85 that she was not entitled to receive. She also used the Starke County debit card to purchase personal items that included a gaming chair, a memory foam mattress and full-size bed frame for her home totaling $658.57. The total loss to Starke County from McDonald's spending came out to be $21,280.42.
“McDonald was supposed to be a public servant in her role at the Starke County Jail, but she chose to use her position of trust to line her own pockets,” said Timothy J. O’Malley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Office. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to investigate all public officials who use their positions for personal gain.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police Organized Crime and Public Corruption Unit, the Indiana State Board of Accounts, and the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office. McDonald's case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jerome W. McKeever, as part of the Northern District of Indiana’s Small County Outreach Program, which aims to bring federal law enforcement resources to bear in rural counties throughout the Northern District of Indiana.
Indiana state forests to offer open houses
Lawrence County (ILL.) burn ban temporarily lifted
City of St. Francisville cracking down on junk in yards and alleys and tall grass
Two Lawrence County men in custody after burglary investigation
Bridgeport Police make arrest in school threat incident
City of Bridgeport continues bridge and infrastructure repairs
Gov. Braun extends tax filing deadline for Hoosiers impacted by August storms
Lawrence County issues burn ban
Lawrence County Veterans Commission moving forward
Governor Braun delivers another month of gas savings for Hoosier families
Find a cooling center near you with Indiana 211
LAFPD Trustee position open
Statewide standards for E-bikes, E-motos and other electric devices protect riders, pedestrians and motorists
Lawrenceville city election petitions now available
Puntney named as new chairman of LCMH Board
USDA offers disaster assistance to Ag producers in Indiana impacted by recent flooding
Two Lawrence County 4-H members are project state champions
Indiana man dies after weekend motorcycle accident; injuries reported in another in Lawrence County (Ill.)
Lawrence County man sentenced on federal meth charges
