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Last updated on Friday, December 30, 2016
(UNDATED) - December saw a Mitchell woman, who was a former Monroe County Jail administrator, plead guilty to embezzling more than $260,000 in county funds and sentenced to federal prison; a record amount was raised at the 24th annual L.I.F.E. Fantasia and a former IU Ethics Director pled guilty in a negotiated plea agreement to a charge of possession of child pornography.
A Mitchell woman was sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $260,000 in county funds.
Karen Sue Bridges of Mitchell, a former Monroe County Jail administrator, was indicted in the fall of 2015 on one charge of embezzlement, three charges of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Bridges had worked at the jail for 20 years.
She pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis. The other charges were dismissed in a negotiated plea deal.
She was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, six months on house arrest and then 18 months on supervised probation.
Bridges was also ordered to repay the $263,932.71 she stole over an 8 year period. In addition, she was ordered to complete 12 days of community service after she is off house arrest. Bridges must also undergo mental health counseling.
Bridges told officials she couldn't remember what she spent the stolen money on, just that she used the cash to supplement her income, "a means to maintain a lifestyle beyond her means".
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More than $35,800 was raised at the 24th annual L.I.F.E. Fantasia on December 5 at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence County.
It was a record amount raised for L.I.F.E., a nonprofit food pantry and assistance agency.
The top-selling was a travel-themed tree donated by Williams Realtors. It sold for $2,050.
Two other Christmas trees which sold for $2,000 each. One of those trees was a tall, flocked tree trimmed in gold, brown and white ornaments and decorated and donated by Parkview Intermediate School Student Council.
A total of 109 items were in the auction, all crafted and donated by members of the community.
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Former IU Ethics Director Jon Riveire will plead guilty in a negotiated plea agreement to a charge of possession of child pornography.
He was arrested after police found photos of a sex act between an adult man and a girl (between the ages of 3 and 5) in Riveire's email. After obtaining a search warrant, they reported finding 30 additional images of child pornography on Riveire's IU-issued computer.
Riveire had worked at IU since 2007, first as a residence hall director and was the assistant director for student conduct at IU's Office of Student Ethics when he was terminated by the university after his arrest in May 2015 when he was charged with six felony counts of possession of child pornography.
According to court records, Riveire has agreed to plead guilty to one of the charges, with the others being dismissed. Monroe Circuit Court Judge Marc Kellams has taken the agreement under advisement. He must undergo a psychosexual evaluation at his own expense before the sentencing hearing on January 30.
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