MOUNT VERNON – Former Mount Vernon Clerk of Court Stephanie Hardman was indicted Monday by a Knox County grand jury on eight third-degree felony counts, including theft in office and other charges.
Hardman was terminated without notice in February by Knox County Municipal Court Judge John Thatcher when she could not account for $7,749.05 in missing funds, a release issued on the Mount Vernon News website said. In a statement sent to the News, Thatcher said he had "lost confidence in the fiscal management of the clerk’s office" because after 14 months she was still unable to account for the money.
In all, Hardman faces eight third-degree felony charges: theft in office, telecommunications fraud, and three counts each for money laundering and tampering with records. Each of the charges carries a maximum prison term of 36 months and a fine of up to $10,000. Investigators discovered a total of more than $10,000 unaccounted for from the bail bond and criminal payment accounts.
Hardman had been clerk since November 2015, a release issued on the Knox Pages website said. Thatcher first requested an investigation into funds missing from Hardman's office in December 2018. That initial investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation was forwarded to the State Auditor's Office, which began its investigation in February 2019.
At the time Hardman was fired, her attorney Brad Koffel published a statement saying that she had taken a voluntary polygraph test in December of last year, the News release said. He also claimed that "no agency has been able to identify how the money came up missing or where it went.”
After Monday's indictment, Thatcher limited his comments about the ongoing case.
“I am always disappointed whenever I hear a public official accused of violating the public's trust,” Thatcher told the Knox Pages. “In this case, as in every case, we'll let the legal system run its course.”
Hardman's first appearance in court is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 2.
