State auditor says $24,000 owed to Sagamore Hills and Northfield Center from former fire district; Finding includes $10,100 former fiscal officer already sentenced to repay

by Erica Peterson

A forensic audit of the disbanded Northfield Center-Sagamore Hills Fire District by the Ohio Auditor’s office discovered another $14,467 that is owed to the two townships.

The audit, released Oct. 8, issued a finding of recovery for $24,639 against former district fiscal officer Rosemary Barrett. According to a letter from State Auditor David Yost, “a finding of recovery for public property converted or misappropriated is hereby issued in the amount of $22,687 and a finding for recovery for public money illegally expended is hereby issued in the amount of $1,952 against Rosemary Barrett and her bonding company … in favor of the Northfield Sagamore Hills Fire District.”

According to Yost, the $24,639 figure includes $12,048 charged by Barrett to two fire district credit cards “for personal or non-fire district related transactions,” and $10,639 charged to the cards “that was not supported by documentation. Due to the lack of documentation, we are unable to determine whether the expenditures were for purposes related to the fire district.” Those purchases included “food, equipment, vegetable plants, flowers and garden supplies.”

The $1,952 was for late charges and finance fees on the credit cards.

Barrett pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony charge of theft in office in January and was ordered to pay $10,172 in restitution after an investigation by the Summit County Sheriff’s office. That amount is included in the audit’s findings.

Sagamore Hills Trustee Paul Schweikert said that after the township was “shut out” of the sheriff’s office investigation, the trustees asked its police department to investigate.

“The centerpiece of our police investigation was the forensic audit,” which Police Chief David Hayes requested about six months ago, Schweikert said. The audit covered Jan. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2016.

The $14,467 will be split between Sagamore Hills and Northfield Center, Schweikert said. He did not immediately know the exact cost of the audit, but he “ballparked” it at $7,000. He said Northfield Center trustees indicated they would pay half the cost if any money is recovered.