Former private probation company employee receives probation for stealing from clients

A former employee of a private probation company in Cape Girardeau County will serve five years probation after circuit Judge Ben Lewis suspended imposition of sentence Monday.

Candi Ayers, 45, pleaded guilty last month to felony stealing after police said she stole money from Private Correctional Services� clients she supervised.

Ayers could have been sentenced to one year in the county jail or one to seven years in state prison, or a maximum fine of $10,000 or both, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Limbaugh said in a court document filed before sentencing.

It is unclear whether Ayers� probation will be supervised by her former employer.

According to a probable-cause statement, Ayers stole a combined $2,170 from 14 clients whose probations she was tasked with supervising. The thefts occurred from Jan. 20 to Sept. 22, 2017, Cape Girardeau police detective Orrin Hawkins said in the statement.

Stolen amounts ranged from a low of $50 each from four clients to a high of $600 in the case of one client, the statement reported.

Hawkins said he met with Autumn and Darin Pettit, owners of Private Correctional Services on Dec. 6, 2017.

The Pettits said Ayers had stolen money, according to the probable-cause statement.

�Darin and Ayers had numerous text messaging conversations in which Ayers had admitted to taking the money and agreed to pay the money back at a later time,� Hawkins wrote in the statement.

Ayers has paid restitution to Private Correctional Services, according to the statement.

In an amended complaint, filed by the prosecutor last month, the stolen money was identified as the property of Private Correctional Services.

The Southeast Missourian left several voice messages for the company�s Autumn Pettit. None were returned as of late Monday afternoon.

Private Correctional Services LLC is a private agency, according to its Facebook page, �dedicated to providing quality services in the area of corrections and offender supervision.� The Facebook page states �PCS employs experienced professionals who provide community supervision, electronic monitoring, and a variety of educational programs.�

Missouri is one of several states allowing private companies to supervise probation for minor crimes, the Human Rights Watch organization said in a report earlier this year. Individuals pay their probation fees directly to the company, the organization said in an online report.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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