Former Marshfield Municipal Clerk Sentenced for Stealing Citation Payments

Thursday, March 7th, 2024 -- 10:00 AM

The former Marshfield Municipal Clerk charged with stealing citation payments was sentenced in Wood County Court.

Susan Carlson was charged for allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars in fines and citation payments and funneling them into her own personal accounts, instead of passing them on to the city's finance office. Many of those funds came in the form of cash payments.

The thefts are believed to have happened over a five year period between 2015 and late 2020. Carlson retired from the clerk of courts position in 2021. The case came to light after her replacement found irregularities in the city's books, sparking a year-long investigation.

Carlson was found guilty of, due to a no contest plea, theft of a business setting greater than $10,000, 3 counts of theft of a business setting less than or equal to $2,500, and two counts of failure to file an income tax return.

Two other charges were dismissed and read in. She was given a deferred probation sentence of 5 years with a condition of 5 months jail time. She must also pay $205,000 in restitution and $2,215 in court costs.

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