Former Times-Union Employee Receives Sentence
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Craig Brosman-
Walton was sentenced to three years of probation and three years in jail by Kosciusko County Superior Court III Judge Joe Sutton for stealing $58,702.25 from the Times-Union over five years as the circulation manager. Walton was additionally ordered to pay restitution to the Cincinnati Insurance Company in the amount of $58,702.25.
Even though Sutton sentenced her to three years of probation and jail time, the sentence was structured so Walton would be able to get her daughter through her senior year of high school. Sutton said that was a perk of not having a criminal record.
Walton will serve two years of her probation first, then serve three years in jail and then spend another year on probation.
As per her plea deal, which she accepted May 24, she would plead guilty to two counts of theft and the court would sentence her consecutively. Sutton sentenced Walton to two years of probation and one year of jail on the first count and two years of jail and one year of probation on the second count.
Additionally, Walton was ordered to pay court costs, a $2 fine, and at least $100 a week in restitution. The $1,000 cash bond that she posted would be used to pay for part of her probation fees and the other $800 would be used to pay the restitution amount.
During arguments at the sentencing hearing, Kosciusko County Deputy Prosecutor Katie Hampton laid out the evidence in which Walton stole from her former employer.
“What’s unique about this crime is that one of the carriers was her niece,” Hampton said. “It was because the niece deposited in cash with Walton that she was able to continue the scheme. She manipulated the family relationship to her benefit. She also opened up her relative to criminal scrutiny.”
When determining what kind of sentence Walton should receive, Hampton brought up the restitution amount and Walton’s family.
“I would like the court to fashion the sentence to take into account the restitution amount. That could mean a long sentence,” Hampton said. “She had dependents at the time of the acts. She should not be able to hide behind it now. It was foreseeable.”
Walton’s attorney, Scott Smith, argued the mitigating factors of the case and asked Sutton for probation instead of incarceration.
“She is extremely sorry for her actions. She wants to do the right thing,” Smith said. “She had no intent to deprive the Times-Union. It started with, ‘hey, I’m going to borrow this and pay it back later.’ It got out of hand and snowballed.
“Give her a chance to start probation up front instead of jail,” Smith said. “Give her front loaded probation so she can in fact comply with the terms.”
After arguments Sutton asked a few questions about the incident.
“How many times did she make a decision to take money?” Sutton asked.
“A couple times a month,” Smith said.
Sutton then determined that the thefts were not one of impulse but fully thought out and conscious decisions.
“Seems to me that if someone were to grab a Rolex, what you would do is grab on impulse. This seems to be a scheme again and again and again,” Sutton said. “It was a conscious decision to take money from the Times-Union and doctor the books.”
Sutton then asked if any of the money had been paid back to the Times-Union without their knowledge.
“Miss Walton did make payments back to the Times-Union, but she is not sure of the amount,” Smith said.
After her sentencing, Sutton ordered that Walton report to the Kosciusko County Jail Oct. 4, 2014, at 7 p.m. to start her jail time. Sutton did inform Walton that she is free to ask for a sentence modification at that time and the court would look at it.
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Walton was sentenced to three years of probation and three years in jail by Kosciusko County Superior Court III Judge Joe Sutton for stealing $58,702.25 from the Times-Union over five years as the circulation manager. Walton was additionally ordered to pay restitution to the Cincinnati Insurance Company in the amount of $58,702.25.
Even though Sutton sentenced her to three years of probation and jail time, the sentence was structured so Walton would be able to get her daughter through her senior year of high school. Sutton said that was a perk of not having a criminal record.
Walton will serve two years of her probation first, then serve three years in jail and then spend another year on probation.
As per her plea deal, which she accepted May 24, she would plead guilty to two counts of theft and the court would sentence her consecutively. Sutton sentenced Walton to two years of probation and one year of jail on the first count and two years of jail and one year of probation on the second count.
Additionally, Walton was ordered to pay court costs, a $2 fine, and at least $100 a week in restitution. The $1,000 cash bond that she posted would be used to pay for part of her probation fees and the other $800 would be used to pay the restitution amount.
During arguments at the sentencing hearing, Kosciusko County Deputy Prosecutor Katie Hampton laid out the evidence in which Walton stole from her former employer.
“What’s unique about this crime is that one of the carriers was her niece,” Hampton said. “It was because the niece deposited in cash with Walton that she was able to continue the scheme. She manipulated the family relationship to her benefit. She also opened up her relative to criminal scrutiny.”
When determining what kind of sentence Walton should receive, Hampton brought up the restitution amount and Walton’s family.
“I would like the court to fashion the sentence to take into account the restitution amount. That could mean a long sentence,” Hampton said. “She had dependents at the time of the acts. She should not be able to hide behind it now. It was foreseeable.”
Walton’s attorney, Scott Smith, argued the mitigating factors of the case and asked Sutton for probation instead of incarceration.
“She is extremely sorry for her actions. She wants to do the right thing,” Smith said. “She had no intent to deprive the Times-Union. It started with, ‘hey, I’m going to borrow this and pay it back later.’ It got out of hand and snowballed.
“Give her a chance to start probation up front instead of jail,” Smith said. “Give her front loaded probation so she can in fact comply with the terms.”
After arguments Sutton asked a few questions about the incident.
“How many times did she make a decision to take money?” Sutton asked.
“A couple times a month,” Smith said.
Sutton then determined that the thefts were not one of impulse but fully thought out and conscious decisions.
“Seems to me that if someone were to grab a Rolex, what you would do is grab on impulse. This seems to be a scheme again and again and again,” Sutton said. “It was a conscious decision to take money from the Times-Union and doctor the books.”
Sutton then asked if any of the money had been paid back to the Times-Union without their knowledge.
“Miss Walton did make payments back to the Times-Union, but she is not sure of the amount,” Smith said.
After her sentencing, Sutton ordered that Walton report to the Kosciusko County Jail Oct. 4, 2014, at 7 p.m. to start her jail time. Sutton did inform Walton that she is free to ask for a sentence modification at that time and the court would look at it.
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