Jasper County says alleged embezzled money was collected from permit fees

Jasper County officials say the money allegedly misused by a former community development employee — who has been arrested and charged with theft and 11 counts of forgery — was not county property tax dollars. The employee has been accused of misusing more than $17,000 collected from permit fees.

In a notice posted by the county on its Facebook page on July 10, the day 31-year-old Shelby Hobbs was taken into custody, it was stated human resources, the county attorney and the sheriff’s office were immediately notified of the alleged misuse, which would be considered embezzlement.

“The board of supervisors, county auditor and county treasurer immediately looked into how this situation could have happened and immediately changed Jasper County’s policies and procedures to help ensure it does not happen again,” the county stated in its social media post on Facebook.

According to the criminal complaints obtained by Newton News, Hobbs allegedly wrote 42 checks to herself over the span of 11 months. The checks were either cashed or deposited into her personal checking account. Authorities say banking records of the county zoning department and Hobbs were compared to confirm.

Hobbs made admissions to engaging in this conduct, authorities say.

Other criminal complaints against Hobbs say she utilized the Jasper County Community Development checkbook and signed the checks in the name of her supervisor — community development director Kevin Luetters — without his knowledge and without his permission.

Affidavits from Jasper County law enforcement allege Hobbs wrote checks for herself two to six times a month from August 2023 until June 2024. Individual checks ranged from as low as $95.42 to as high as $820. In a single month, the checks totaled between $680 to upwards of $2,417.

Jasper County Sheriff’s Office stated in a July 10 press release that the county attorney’s office requested law enforcement on June 26 to conduct a criminal investigation on a county employee who was suspected of misusing county funds. Investigators found $17,458.41 was utilized for unauthorized expenses.

Hobbs was arrested following the investigation and charged with first-degree theft (Class C felony) and 11 counts of forgery (Class D felony).