FRANKLIN — A chief deputy clerk remained on the job in Municipal Court for months while authorities investigated her in the theft of more than $16,000 in bond money and fines, a state report revealed Tuesday.

        Money was discovered missing in October 2000, but Diane Hayslett kept her job and even made $5,787 in payments to the court beginning one month into the investigation.

        She was placed on administrative leave in late January 2001 and forced to resign three months later.

        The case was made public Tuesday after Ohio Auditor Jim Petro released a special audit of the Franklin Municipal Court. Judge James Ruppert requested the audit in February 2001 after discovering “some irregularities in the receipt and accounting” of court funds.

        The state audit was requested to support a criminal investigation, Police Chief Bob Rockwood said.

        City Law Director Steve Runge said Tuesday that he now plans to refer allegations against Ms. Hayslett to the county prosecutor's office.

        Asked why he allowed Ms. Hayslett to continue working, Judge Ruppert said, “That will all be part of the facts of the case.

        “We didn't know what was going on. No person was identified. That was some time later.”

        But the audit shows that Ms. Hayslett started reimbursing the court as early as November 2000 with a personal check for $2,900. She followed that with two more personal checks for $1,000 each in January 2001, then reimbursed the court another $887 by cashing in her vacation time.

        Ms. Hayslett, who worked for the court for about a decade, could not be reached for comment.

        Chief Rockwood said Judge Ruppert and Sherry Mullins, the clerk of courts, came to him in October 2000 and asked for a police investigation. Security measures were established, and they quickly identified “what they believed was going on,” Chief Rockwood said.

        The state audit said court officials questioned Ms. Hayslett that October after they discovered that a bond payment was not recorded in court records, even though the defendant had a receipt.

        “Ms. Hayslett stated she forgot to write the bond in the book. She located the bond a few days later. The clerk notified Judge James Ruppert about the case,” the report said.

        Ms. Mullins also became suspicious after receiving several calls from defendants who complained that their fine payments were not credited in court records, the report said.

        The audit also cited an incident when Ms. Hayslett was supposed to put another deputy clerk's cash drawer containing $50 in the safe. The drawer came up missing.

        “Another deputy clerk stated she saw Ms. Hayslett get $50 out of her purse and give it to the deputy clerk,” the state audit said.

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