Former Clerk of Courts Alleged to Have Stole $73,000 From City of Marshfield
MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – A former City of Marshfield employee is being charged with three counts of Theft – Business Setting Over $10,000 for allegedly stealing money between January of 2016 and December of 2020 according to a criminal complaint.
An investigation initiated by the Marshfield Police Department in February of 2021 found that former Municipal Clerk of Courts of the City of Marshfield Susan Carlson had stolen $73,000 from the Municipal Clerk of Courts office.
Investigators reported that Carlson, 67 of Marshfield, had retired from her position with the City in December of 2020. Her replacement, Melissa Kloos, had noticed that payments for citations had been incorrectly documented during Carlson’s tenure.
According to the complaint, Kloos was able to determine that approximately $100,000 had been received by the clerk’s office, but had not been provided to the finance department. After further investigation, it was found that Carlson had taken $73,000 in fees and funds that had been paid to the clerk’s office.
The complaint stated that special Agent Loreen Glaman of the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation led the investigation and interviewed Carlson at her home.
There, Carlson told Glaman that she was the sole person in charge of the approximate $20,000 per month in municipal citation funds. Carlson was also the sole person who accepted payments from the police department and she was the only person who had access to the lockbox where she stored cash and checks all according to the complaint.
If convicted of the three felony charges, Carlson could receive up to $75,000 in fines and 30 years in prison according to the complaint.
Carlson is due in court on Monday, March 21 for her initial appearance.
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