(ANGOLA) - The former Steuben County Parks employee connected to a months-long investigation into more than $44,000 in missing park money has now been charged with four felonies.
Sara Brook Smith, the former Park Assistant Superintendent and Event Center Coordinator, was charged Monday in Steuben Superior Court with Level 6 felony counts of theft, counterfeiting, obstruction of justice and official misconduct.
WLKI News first broke the story in April after a State Board of Accounts investigation found $44,141.27 collected between 2022 and 2024 was never deposited into county accounts.
Auditors traced the missing money across park operations. It included campground fees, dock rentals, electric charges, Event Center bookings, Lions Building rentals and security deposits. The audit also found altered receipt amounts, payments without matching deposits and missing reservation files.
Smith's position included collecting park fees and submitting that money to the county. She resigned from the Steuben County Parks Department in January 2025.
Judge William Fee issued a warrant Monday and set bond at $5,000, with 10 percent authorized.
Smith's attorney later entered an appearance and asked Fee to recall the warrant, waive the initial hearing and schedule a pretrial conference.
A probable cause affidavit was filed with the charges but was not available through the online court record. WLKI News has requested a copy from Steuben County and will update the story when it becomes available.
The State Board of Accounts previously sought repayment of the missing money, along with more than $35,000 for the cost of the special investigation.
The case remains pending. Smith is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.