A first appearance in Lyon County District Court is coming July 31 for one-time Emporia Senior Center director Lannie Lyman, now charged with theft of over $100,000 from the facility.
Court documents provided to KVOE News show members of the Senior Center board noticed a “significant amount” of missing funds in September 2017 — right about the time local attorney Jay Vandevelde approached the center, saying he planned to take legal action for not garnishing Lyman’s wages as part of an unspecified action in another case. The affidavit says the losses ranged between $85,000 and $120,000. The affidavit also says Lyman admitted to board members to taking around $10,000 from the Senior Center for what’s listed as personal use during a conversation where Lyman was informed she was being fired.
A subsequent audit listed around $115,000 missing from the Senior Center dating back to Lyman’s hire in 2014. Chase Miller, attorney for the Emporia Senior Center tells KVOE News he’s confident that justice will prevail in this case.
In addition, the affidavit says there were at least two bonus checks for Lyman that were written out for more than authorized by the Senior Center board. Court documents also say Lyman adjusted bank accounts and changed Quickbook records to hide actual balances.
The affidavit unsealed Friday also shows Lyman had been charged with theft of cash and creating false writings as part of a case in 2003. Lyman admitted to taking customer checks and then destroying loan agreements.
9 am Friday: Lyman arrested on suspicion of taking over $100,000 from Senior Center
Former Emporia Senior Center director Lannie Lyman has been arrested on suspicion of theft from the facility.
Lyman was arrested and booked Thursday. Lyon County Attorney Marc Goodman confirms to KVOE News that Lyman faces one count of theft in excess of $100,000 from January 2016 through September 2017. Word on a first appearance in Lyon County District Court is pending.
Lyman’s arrest follows a lengthy investigation after the discovery of money missing from the Senior Center as announced during a Lyon County Commission meeting back in November. When several thousand dollars was announced as missing Nov. 30, it was also announced that Lyman had been replaced by Leah Payton on an interim basis. The County Commission approved a draw-down of funds to keep the Senior Center operating as part of that meeting.
Calls to the Senior Center have been met by a busy signal Friday morning. Calls to Lyman’s phone number on file at KVOE News went to voice mail.
Lyman was selected as the Senior Center’s director in March 2014 after former director Susan Riley took a job as a nursing home administrator in Eureka. Before working at the Senior Center, she was the patient care coordinator at Hartland Hearing Center and had worked as an admissions specialist at Flint Hills Technical College.
Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com as this story develops.
