The date is set for the trial of a woman accused of embezzling $1.8 million from the state. This is just one in a series of cases involving state employees in recent memory.
Former Department of Social Services employee Lonna Carroll is charged with two felony counts of aggravated grand theft and is currently being held on $50,000 bond in Hughes County Jail.
The alleged thefts occurred between 2010 and 2023. During that time, the 68-year-old worked for and had control of the funds in the DSS Child Protective Services program.
According to Chief Deputy Attorney General Brent Kempema, the trial date is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Pierre.
“The defendant, Ms. Carroll, has entered a plea of not guilty to the two charges in the indictment which each allege an aggravated grand theft," Kempema said. "It’s expected to take approximately three days, but you never know how these things work out in the end.”
Changes were also made to Carroll’s bond terms.
“In addition to setting the trial date, the court did at this point slightly modify bond to indicate the $50,000 will now be cash or surety, which means she can post a percentage of that bond and be released," Kempema said. "We do not know at this point if she will be able to do so.”
With yet another alleged case involving state employees, Kempema said it’s business as usual in prosecution.
“A lot of cases, whether or not they involve state funds, this is the process we go through," Kempema said. "I don’t know if there was anything out of the ordinary that happened today – we’re proceeding as we do in all of our criminal cases.”
Alongside this investigation is the alleged fraud committed by a now-deceased Department of Motor Vehicles employee. In that case, the employee allegedly used their position to create fake motor vehicle titles to secure almost $400,000 in loans between 2016 and 2023. No charges are filed in that case.