Perryville woman charged with stealing money from newspaper's cash box

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A cleaning woman for the Perry County Republic-Monitor was charged Friday with stealing more than $200 from the newspaper.

The Perryville-based weekly paper reported a total of $236 was stolen from a cash box during a three-week period in August, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Paper publisher and editor Kate Martin installed a security camera after she noticed the missing money, the affidavit read.

The camera later captured evening cleaning woman Mary Jo Schwent entering a locked cabinet that held the cash box, removing something, appearing to count the item and then closing the cabinet, according to the affidavit.

Schwent, 49, of Perryville, was charged Friday with six counts of felony burglary and six counts of misdemeanor stealing. She was released on a personal recognizance bond.

When police interviewed Schwent on Aug. 31, she admitted that she entered the cabinet without permission and stole the cash because she was "hurting for money," the affidavit read.

Schwent said she found the cabinet's key that she used to unlock it. On a couple of occasions, Schwent said the cabinet was unlocked, which contradicts statements from the paper's office manager, who said she locked the cabinet.

Martin did not return calls for comment Friday night.