The Vernal woman charged with felony Theft after being accused of stealing money from the Uintah & Daggett Counties Children’s Justice Center last fall has entered a plea of Guilty to a lesser charge in 8th District Court. 41-year-old Michelle Lyn Coon served as the Treasurer for the ‘Friends of Uintah & Daggett Counties Children’s Justice Center’. After suspicious account activity was noticed, Uintah County requested that an outside agency conduct an investigation. A Wasatch County officer performed the investigation that led to Coon’s arrest and a formal charge of Second Degree Felony Theft. The investigation revealed that the credit card issued to Coon was used to make personal purchases over multiple years and checks amounting to thousands of dollars had been made out to herself. The amount taken totalled around $145,000 dollars over a period of about 10 years. Court records show that on January 14th, Coon accepted a plea agreement in which she entered a plea of Guilty to the amended charge of Class A Misdemeanor Attempted Theft. She was sentenced to a term of 365 days in jail with that total time suspended. She was ordered to pay restitution to the ‘Friends of Uintah & Daggett County Children’s Justice Center’ in the amount of $145,000 dollars plus interest. Coon will be on Court Probation for a total of 24 months. Court records state that the full restitution payment was received by the court on January 17th.
