DSS employee charged in $1.8 million theft appears in court Thursday

PIERRE, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A former Department of Social Services employee accused of stealing nearly $1.8 million from the state is making her first court appearance Thursday in Hughes County.

Lonna Carroll, 68, of Algona, Iowa, is charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft. She was arrested last week in Iowa and extradited to South Dakota.

Carroll is accused of taking the money while serving as an employee for the department’s Child Protection Services program, where she had control of the funds. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said Carroll essentially acted as her own supervisor, both requesting and approving funds for CPS cases.

Jackley stated that it’s very unlikely that the $1.78 million stolen will be recovered.

According to state lawmakers, the South Dakota Government Operations and Audit Committee is likely to address the $1.78 million stolen from the Department of Social Services in its upcoming meetings.

Carroll’s initial court appearance is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CST. Dakota News Now will be in Pierre covering the case.

The maximum sentence for Count One is 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The maximum sentence for Count Two is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. Carroll is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.

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