Former County Treasurer Denies Embezzlement Charge

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A former Jefferson County treasurer has denied charges that she embezzled more than $100,000.

The Independent Record reports (http://bit.ly/1C579BF ) Patricia Dawn O'Neill pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony embezzlement during a District Court hearing in Boulder.

The case came to light in March 2014 when O'Neill told her cousin — the county's clerk and recorder — that she had attempted suicide because she had taken $200,000 in county funds in the six years since her divorce. An initial audit found at least $104,000 was missing, but a later report showed a $220,101 discrepancy.

Bank statements showed she wrote numerous checks to casinos.

Court records say her plan was to win the lottery and repay the county.

An assistant attorney general is serving as a special prosecutor on the case.