TOPEKA (KSNT) – A former Shawnee County Treasurer’s Office employee has been arrested following an investigation by law enforcement.

Abigail Christian with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office (SNSO) said Heather L. Cunningham, 42, of Topeka is under arrest for several alleged thefts of cash that occurred over the course of several months while she was employed at the Shawnee County Treasurer’s Office. Cunningham’s former place of employment discovered the alleged thefts and began an investigation, later turning over evidence to the SNSO.

Shawnee County Treasurer Larry Mah told KSNT 27 News that Cunningham stole $41,000. This money came from motor vehicle registration fees and property taxes. He says she allegedly took advantage of a flaw in the system that let her void transaction and pocket the money.

Mah says his office noticed the thefts in February, after Cunningham was terminated for unrelated reasons. After an internal investigation, they alerted law enforcement.
He says his office hasn’t lost a dollar in his 11 years as county treasurer, and takes this instance personally.

“We take it very seriously and I take it personally,” Mah said “One dollar and one transaction is too many and we won’t put up with it and we’ll deal with that in the most harsh terms we can, including termination and law enforcement.”

Cunningham was taken to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on Wednesday, April 26 on several counts of felony theft, making false information, unlawful acts concerning computers and destroying a written instrument, according to Christian. The incident remains under investigation.