Former bookkeeper charged with felony theft from metro-east school district
A former bookkeeper for Columbia Unit 4 School District has been charged with stealing funds.
The Monroe County State’s Attorney’s office Friday issued three felony counts against Julie Nappier, 52, of Valmeyer, including felony theft over $100,000, official misconduct, and deception.
Nappier is being held at the Monroe County Jail on $350,000 bond.
Because of the amount of money that was alleged to be stolen, Nappier faces a Class X felony which carries a sentence of 6 to 30 years in a state prison, according to Illinois sentencing guidelines. The official misconduct charge and deception charge carry additional sentences of 2 to 5 and 1 to 3 years respectively.
According to a release from the Columbia Police Department, the investigation originated with Columbia Unit 4 School District, which alerted law enforcement. An investigation by Columbia detectives led to the charges.
“I would like to commend everyone who assisted with this investigation to include on-scene witnesses, Columbia PD Officers and Detectives, Valmeyer Police Department, and Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb,” Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon said in a statement.
