Former Village of Hawkins employee accused of stealing money convicted

RUSK COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) – A former Village of Hawkins employee accused of stealing thousands of dollars has been sentenced.

Court records show 79-year-old Marcia Lyons of Hawkins was sentenced on Oct. 17, 2024, in Rusk County.

According to court records, the court orders the sentence to be withheld and 18 months of probation. The probation conditions include that Lyons is not allowed to work or volunteer in a position that involves handling money. Lyons will also not seek or hold public office and will comply with any conditions recommended by a DOC agent.

Court records show Lyons plead guilty to misconduct/officer actions/excessive authority on October 1, 2024.

According to the criminal complaint, a witness said that on April 4, 2024, Village of Hawkins Treasurer Marcia Lyons was at the Ladysmith Federal Bank and attempted to transfer $94,928.62 from the Village of Hawkins Library account to JM Bullion, Inc. .

The complaint states that the bank told her she did not have the money in her bank account.

Lyons then left the bank and a few minutes later had $67,000 transferred from the Village of Hawkins Library account, and $33,000 from a family member’s account to her own personal bank account, according to the indictment.

The complaint goes on to say that when a second witness asked Lyons if she had transferred money from the Village of Hawkins Library account to her own bank account, she said she had and that she was only going to borrow it for a few days so she could buy it. gold from JM Bullion, Inc.

Current Village of Hawkins Treasurer Alicia Valentine contacted WEAU and said Marcia Lyons was the former library board president.

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