JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri State Auditor said in a report this week that at least $3,886 is missing from the municipal court in Desloge, a city of about 5,000 in St. Francois County.
Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick points the finger at former Court Administrator Heather Steinmetz, accusing her of embezzling the $3,886 “and possibly significantly more than that.”
“Our office has worked with law enforcement throughout this process and recommends that the court take the necessary steps to hold Steinmetz accountable for her wrongdoing,” Fitzpatrick said.
Steinmetz, reached by phone on Tuesday, said “I’m not discussing anything” and hung up on a reporter.
In response to a subpoena, attorney Mick Henderson wrote to an auditor’s office official on Dec. 23 that Steinmetz would assert her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
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She was fired on Oct. 11, 2022, according to — the same day the auditor’s whistleblower hotline received a tip accusing Steinmetz of “fraudulent activity.”
“This audit highlights the importance of the Whistleblower Hotline as a tool Missourians can use to help my office ensure accountability and transparency,” Fitzpatrick, a Republican elected in 2022, said in the news release.
A news release from Fitzpatrick’s office said Steinmetz didn’t deposit $1,568 in cash that had been recorded on manual receipt slips.
In addition, the release said the court took a total of $1,349.50 in fines and costs from 10 defendants but records showed they received community service “in lieu of these fines and costs.” The money was not deposited, the release said.
An additional $508.50 came from five defendants, but none of that money was deposited and the transactions “were entered into the court system as non-monetary judicial order transactions,” the state said.
Steinmetz, the auditor’s office said, also failed to deposit and “improperly recorded” eight cash payments in a city after-hours drop box, resulting in another $413 in missing funds.
As for the last $47, the release said the former court administrator altered the amount of fines and costs owed on at least four case records “to conceal money received and not deposited.”
Fitzpatrick’s office said dozens more “unsupported non-monetary community service transactions” totaling $4,482 “may represent additional missing money.”
Desloge Police Chief James Bullock said Tuesday the department turned an investigation of the missing funds over to the Missouri Highway Patrol in October 2022, when the investigation began.
“We felt that it wasn’t proper for the Desloge Police Department to investigate our own city,” Bullock said, adding the city notified the department of the missing funds.
Capt. Dusty Hoffman, spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said Wednesday the agency is actively investigating the case.
St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney Blake Dudley said Wednesday he had not received a Highway Patrol report related to Steinmetz or Desloge municipal court missing funds.