Judge rules therapist didn’t intend to steal

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — A judge has ruled that a Sioux Falls family therapist did not intend to steal when she used checks from her employer to buy diapers, pay her electric bill and register Arabian horses.

Tammy Lias, 45, was charged with embezzling more than $1,000 by using accounts from the Family Institute of the Midwest to pay personal expenses in 2010.

Lias was acquitted Friday after a two-day trial.

Judge Kathleen Caldwell ruled that the therapist was thrust into the role of bookkeeper for a small business that had an informal way with money.

The judge says Lias did not intend to defraud the counseling center.

“For some reason, she agreed to pay the bills (for the business),” Caldwell said. “There was no testimony that said she knew what she was doing.”

Business owner Carol Carlson says she will pursue a claim against Lias in civil court.

“She linked her personal account to our account. She bought diapers, she paid her credit card bill. That’s stealing, whether Judge Caldwell believes it or not,” Carlson said.

Lias declined comment after the trial.

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