Woman charged with embezzling from WVa clerk’s office

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A woman who worked in a county clerk’s office in West Virginia has been charged with taking funds paid to the office for back taxes.

Elizabeth Marie Sampson, 44, of Elkview, worked in the Kanawha County Clerk’s Office, where she is accused of taking more than $21,000 and using it for herself, news outlets reported, citing court records.

Sampson is charged with embezzlement, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. It was not clear whether she has an attorney who could comment on the case.

The complaint said Sampson collected payments for delinquent property taxes. She was responsible for transferring the funds to a different department for deposit.

Chief Deputy Clerk David Dodd says Sampson no longer works in the clerk’s office.