Former City Clerk Pleads Guilty To Felony Theft Charges

WALESKA, GA -- The former city clerk and city manager for Waleska has entered a guilty plea to two charges of felony theft by taking roughly 18 months after she was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars from the city's coffers.

Jennifer Aimee Abernathy was sentenced to a total of 15 years, two of which she will have to serve in confinement and the rest on probation. She was also ordered to pay $37,821 in restitution to the city of Waleska, said Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace.

The sentence, which followed a negotiated plea, was handed down Friday, Aug. 18.

Abernathy, 44, was arrested in January 2016 and charged with making unlawful payroll payments to herself amounting to about $25,000 between August 2012 and October 2015. She is also accused of using the city's credit accounts to make personal purchases worth at least $5,000 (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

She was indicted on those allegations in August 2016, but Wallace said Abernathy entered guilty pleas to the two felony theft by taking charges that stipulate she took $10,000 from the city.

The Cartersville resident resigned from the post in October 2015, and was arrested following a four-week investigation by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office.

Image via Cherokee Sheriff's Office