Missouri official sentenced to probation for stealing

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- The former deputy collector for an eastern Missouri county has been sentenced to five years of probation.

Kelcey Gresham, of Fredericktown, was sentenced after pleading guilty Thursday to a felony stealing charge. Gresham paid $5,409.72 in restitution under the terms of the plea.

State Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office, which handled the prosecution, said the crimes came to light last fall when Madison County residents who had paid their property taxes in cash received notices that their tax bills were delinquent. An investigation determined that more than $13,000 was missing.

Gresham served as the county's deputy collector at the time.

Gresham does not have a listed attorney.

Madison County, with about 12,200 residents, is in Missouri's Lead Belt region.