A former Ellisville deputy clerk is heading to prison after pleading guilty to embezzlement charges.
According to court documents, Emerald Wuertz changed her previous non-guilty plea to guilty during Thursday’s hearing. She was sentenced to four years behind bars and two years of probation after stealing from the city’s water funds.
Wuertz was fired in April 2021 after errors were found in department records. Her alleged actions were then turned in to the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office, leading to her arrest in September 2023.
State Auditor Shad White said at the time that Wuertz seemed to have been altering cutomers’ payments to their water accounts, so she could skim money off the top. She was ordered to pay back $41,246.20 at the time of her arrest.
The judge decided that the grand total Wuertz will have to pay back is now $43,955.45, which includes an additional fine and court costs.
