Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a Chappell woman following an investigation related to purchases at the Deuel County Clerk’s Office.
59-year-old Polly Olson, who serves as the Deuel County Clerk, has been charged with two counts of theft by unlawful taking $1,500 to $4,999, and one count of theft by unlawful taking $5,000 or more, all felonies.
According to an arrest affidavit in the case, NSP investigators developed information that Olson had purchased more than $18,000 worth of personal items from various retailers using an official Deuel County credit card over a three year period from June 2019 through August 2021 that were not reimbursed by her to the County.
The investigator also found that different checks had been written to pay for the one specific county credit card each month, including several from the County Clerk’s account, personal checks from Olson’s account, and checks from the City of Chappell. The investigator said the County Clerk’s account should have been the only account writing checks to pay the monthly card balance, while the checks from Olson and the City of Chappel should have been written to the County Treasurer’s account for proper claims.
An warrant was issued for Olson Tuesday, June 14, with Troopers arresting her a short time later without incident and lodging her in the Garden County Jail.
The case was initially referred to NSP by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
