By Sharon Turco
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A former Hamilton County prosecutor's investigator who now works for Juvenile Court was indicted Friday by a Hamilton County grand jury, accused of stealing money from the prosecutor's evidence room.

Pete Marshall, 58, was indicted on three counts of theft in office, accused of taking $2,817 on three separate occasions in December 1996 while working for the prosecutor's office. Marshall faces up to four years in prison.

Ohio Treasurer Joe Deters was prosecutor then. He said last month that he remembered something missing from the property room, but that it wasn't an unusual occurrence. He said he never heard about theft allegations. He declined to comment Friday.

Marshall has been on paid leave from Hamilton County Juvenile Court, where he works as a case facilitator, since Jan. 8.

He started there Aug. 15, after leaving his job at the prosecutor's office, where he worked in the family services division as a child support enforcement investigator.

The thefts came to light when money turned up missing late last year. Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen turned the case over to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, which opened an investigation.

Steve Barnett, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, declined to comment on the investigation.

A special prosecutor was appointed to oversee the case.

Marshall is accused of stealing cash from three cases stored in the prosecutor's property room, which was near where Marshall worked.

Neither Marshall nor his attorney, William Whalen, could be reached for comment.

E-mail sturco@enquirer.com