Former New Concord fiscal officer intends to plead guilty according to records

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – According to a request for pretrial conference filed by her attorney, Lynn Marlatt is expected to plead guilty to the charges related to her alleged theft of more than $450,000 in public funds.

The document requests for a pretrial conference in hopes to resolve the case before Marlatt’s attorney, Mark Kaido, retires at the end of the year and avoid the need to find replacement counsel for the defendant.

“For these reasons, counsel respectfully requests a pretrial conference to discuss and divulge the parameters of the Defendant’s expected plea of guilty to the pending indictment, and the plan for the statutory requirements of sentencing set out in a Theft in Office offense as provided in R.C. §2921.41,” reads the document filed on Nov. 20.

Marlatt served as the village of New Concord’s fiscal officer from 2012 until 2023 when she was terminated and Ohio’s Auditor of State announced an investigation. According to a press release by the auditors office, the investigation started after a local bank contacted village officials about suspicious activity involving a dormant village bank account.

Marlatt previously served the village as the income tax clerk and clerk of courts from 2000 to 2012. If found guilty, she will no longer be allowed to hold any public office, employment, or position of trust with the state.

According to the auditors press release, the Auditor of State’s Special Investigation’s Unit (SIU) identified multiple check, debit card, and other unauthorized withdrawals with the allegedly stolen funds going towards Marlatt’s debt and other personal expenses.

She currently faces one charge of theft in office, on count of telecommunications fraud, and one count of tampering with records which are two 2nd degree felonies and one 3rd degree felony respectively. She could face a minimum of two years in prison and will need to repay all of the funds she allegedly stole.

An entry for scheduling a pre-trial hearing has been filed on the morning of Nov. 24 which states that the pre-trial hearing will take place on Dec. 2.