Nick Hytrek
Sioux City Journal, Iowa
ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa — The former treasurer of the George, Iowa, Emergency Medical Services has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $26,000 in agency funds.
Chad Wessels, 48, of George, entered a written plea Friday in Lyon County District Court to one count of third-degree theft, an aggravated misdemeanor. The charge was reduced from felony first-degree theft as part of a plea agreement.
According to terms of the plea agreement, Wessels will be sentenced to 60 days in jail and serve two years on probation. He also will be fined $625 and must pay $26,193 in restitution to the George EMS.
An Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation probe identified approximately $18,000 in unauthorized checks written to Wessels, who was treasurer from February 2014 until September. The investigation also found that Wessels took approximately $8,000 in cash donations from the EMS’ annual fundraiser from 2016 through 2019.
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