Eglen
BROWNSTOWN — Indiana State Police have accused former Jackson County Auditor Staci Eglen of creating fake invoices and submitting them to the county treasurer for reimbursement, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Eglen was arrested Friday and is currently facing nine felonies, including three counts each of fraud, theft and official misconduct, following a month-long investigation by state police into allegations of misconduct last year. She resigned from her position as auditor effective May 3.
Elgen was booked into the Jackson County Jail on Friday and released for “time served” the following day, according to jail officials. Court records indicate that she posted a $1,505 bond. No court hearings had been scheduled as of Tuesday morning.
A probable cause affidavit filed in Jackson Circuit Court alleges that Eglen voided several checks that were supposed to be deposited into the Hamilton Township Trustee’s bank account and then submitted fake invoices for the amounts to the Jackson County Treasurer’s Officer in which she listed herself a payee of the funds.
Elgen then allegedly cashed the checks or deposited the funds into her personal bank account, according to the probable cause affidavit. In total, state police allege that Elgen stole over $18,000 in county funds from October to December.
One check for $1,500 that was originally made out to Toshiba America Business Solutions on Oct. 23 was voided by Elgen, who then submitted a new account payable voucher in November to the county treasurer for “copier maint” but with herself listed as the payee.
Eglen allegedly fabricated an invoice totaling $2,441 made out to Bedford Office Supply Inc. for “toner for printers, scanners, copiers” and submitted it to the county treasurer in October, but the check issued for the payment listed her as the payee instead of the company. She signed the check and cashed $1,900 while depositing $541 into her personal bank account.
State police also allege that she voided other checks that were supposed to be deposited into the Hamilton Township Trustee’s bank account. Eglen told police that “she did this and had them put into one check … so she could put them into her bank account,” according to court filings.
The probable cause affidavit alleges that a $13,529 check written on Dec. 11 listing Eglen as a payee was deposited a few days later into a bank account at Peoples Bank that belonged to her and Jonathan Eglen.
State police were made aware of the alleged fake invoices during a videoconference with officials from the Indiana State Board of Accounts on April 25. Four days later, state police and an official with the Indiana State Board of Accounts met with Eglen at the auditor’s office, where she “admitted that she had fabricated the invoices and received payment for them from the treasurer.”
“She advised that she was having some personal issues and was in need of some extra money,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
It is unclear what those “personal issues” may be. However, Flagstar Bank initiated foreclosure proceedings on Eglen’s home at 6701 N. County Road 240E in Seymour in early May, shortly after she resigned in wake of the investigation, according to court records. In April, Mariner Finance LLC also filed a civil collection complaint against Eglen.
Eglen was selected to be auditor during a Republican caucus to replace former Jackson County Auditor Roger Hurt, who resigned in 2023. She previously was Hurt’s administrative assistant and starated working at the auditor’s office in 2011.
“I started on the tax side helping with deductions and all that. Then I moved to claims and utilities, and then I did payroll, Eglen told The Seymour Tribune last year.
Jackson County Republicans plan to hold a caucus to select Elgen’s replacement to serve out the rest of her term, which ends at the end of the year. Republican Jamie M. Pyle ran unopposed for the GOP nomiantion for the position in this month’s primary.
The auditor, which is a constitutional office, is the fiscal officer for county government in Indiana serves as the secretary of the board of county commissioners and the clerk to the county council. As a constitutional office, auditors can only hold two consecutive four-year terms.
The auditor’s responsibilities also include keeping and issuing checks for the county and distributing property tax revenues to the governmental units and agencies for they were collected.
The auditor assists with the budget preparations by developing financial analysis and cash flow projections and also must prepare plats that show ownership and assessed valuation of each parcel in each township of the county.
The criminal case was still pending in Jackson Circuit Court as of Tuesday morning.
