Ex-Mapleton official pleads guilty to theft of city funds

PROVO — Mapleton's former finance chief pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing almost $30,000 in city funds.

Jeannie Bell, 48, pleaded guilty in 4th District Court to theft, a second-degree felony. She used a city credit card to purchase stamps and gift cards for employee bonuses, then sold them online.

If Bell pays back $25,000 in restitution by the time of her sentencing on May 6, she will not have to pay back the balance. Otherwise, she will pay the full amount in monthly installments throughout the term of her probation, which will be at least 36 months, prosecutor Craig Johnson said.

Bell's case was delayed last fall when she skipped a court date and fled to Las Vegas. Authorities tracked her down at a casino and extradited her back to Utah weeks later.

Her attorney later said she had a bad reaction to going off an antidepressant and suffered a panic attack.

— Paul Koepp