News
Food Bank Theft Trial Rescheduled For September
By: Debra Tobin | Logan Daily News
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A jury trial scheduled to begin in Hocking County Common Pleas Court for a local woman accused of internal theft at the Southeastern Ohio Food Bank has been postponed until Sept. 18.
Marilyn Sloan, who was employed as the food bank manager in Logan, is charged with tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; grand theft, fourth-degree felony; tampering with records, third-degree felony; and forgery, fifth-degree felony.
The trial has been postponed due to a request by the Hocking County Prosecutor’s Office. According to court records, Hocking County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Archer requested the continuance due to a family medical issue, and both Hocking County Prosecutor Laina Fetherolf and Hocking County Assistant Prosecutor Jonah Saving have vacation plans.
Sloan’s attorney, Jason Sarver, has subpoenaed 22 witnesses, including Lisa Roberts, director of the Friends and Neighbors Community Choice Food Center, who appeared on a Dateline news special regarding poverty in Southeastern Ohio.
“We look forward to the finality of the case,” Sarver said. “We hope that the truth will finally surface and that justice will prevail.”
According to court records, Sloan allegedly altered, destroyed, concealed or removed records or documents to impair its value or availability as evidence; falsified, destroyed, removed, concealed, altered, defaced or mutilated a writing, computer software, data, computer data or record; did knowingly obtain and exert control over property valued at $5,888.06 by deception; and facilitated fraud, knowing invoices to have been forged.
Sloan allegedly altered invoices that should have been paid to the Southeastern Ohio Food Bank in Glouster and requested the checks instead be written payable to her and mailed to the food bank.
She then allegedly deposited the checks into personal accounts held jointly with her husband at banks in various counties. Sloan’s husband has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
If convicted of these charges, Sloan could receive up to 36 months in prison for each third-degree felony; 18 months for each fourth-degree and 12 months for each fifth-degree as consecutive sentences, a total of 8.5 years.
Throughout the past year, there have been several postponements during various stages of the case, including a change of attorney four separate times.
Sloan has maintained her innocence since being charged.