By Heather Wells
MADISON COUNTY, Idaho — A Madison County civil deputy, who’s on paid leave, is charged with allegedly stealing thousands of dollars.
A civil deputy with the Madison County sheriff’s office has been charged with seven felonies for allegedly stealing money while on the job.
Alexis Siepert, 49, was charged Thursday with four counts of felony grand theft and three counts of misuse of public money by a public employee. If convicted, she faces up to 98 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
“Something like this is not any easy thing for anybody,” Sheriff Roy Klingler said, adding that certain county procedures have to occur before he can announce whether Siepert will lose her job.
Court records indicate that some of the charges stem from incidents that date to 2006.
Siepert allegedly pocketed money the sheriff’s office collected from serving summons papers, garnishing wages and other civil process fees.
Siepert, who’s worked for the county for almost nine years, was initially placed on paid leave May 1 while deputies investigated her for a policy violation. Evidence of the pilfering was found about a week later, Klingler said.
Once that was discovered, the sheriff’s office deputies turned over the investigation to the Tri-County Sheriff’s Association.
The association, which is made up of several law enforcement agencies, typically takes over cases involving county employees or when there are other conflicts of interest.
""I was just very shocked like most people in the office to find out,"" Klingler said, adding that civil deputies are not certified law enforcement officers.
Siepert was informed about the arrest warrant Thursday and turned herself in to the Bonneville County Jail, special prosecutor Randy Neal said at her arraignment Thursday. Her husband works at the Madison County Jail.
Both parties agreed Siepert wasn’t a flight risk and allowed her to be released on pretrial services, which means she agrees to certain conditions and won’t have to post bond.
Siepert’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 5 in Madison County.
Copyright 2008 Idaho Falls Post Register