Amy Spears, Carrollton Schools’ former treasurer, was transported earlier this week to the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville to begin serving an 18-month prison term for stealing in office, a third-degree felony.
In addition to the prison sentence, Spears was forced to pay $22,620 in restitution and court fees. Judge Michael V. Repella II of Carroll County Common Pleas Court imposed the sentence during a hearing on October 7.
According to a journal entry filed on October 9, Repella authorized a motion from the State of Ohio asking the Ohio School Employees Retirement System to take cash from Spears’ account to make restitution owed to the Carrollton Exempted Village School District.
As part of the order, Spears gave up her entitlement to any retirement allowance, pension, disability benefit, or other income from the School Employees Retirement System, with the exception of her accrued contributions. The Clerk of Courts was directed to distribute the $22,620 reparation funds to the Carrollton EVSD treasurer.
The Ohio Auditor of State’s Office attorneys prosecuted the case. Spears was charged with third-degree felony charges of stealing in office and tampering with records on May 7, 2025. At a preliminary hearing on Sept. 12, she pleaded guilty to theft in office, and the tampering allegation was dismissed.
Carroll County Prosecutor Steven D. Barnett, who assisted in the case, stated that the court’s finding met the purposes of protecting public funds, discouraging future misbehavior, and assuring reimbursement to the school district.
“We respect the court’s sentence and the balance of the sentencing factors that the trial court had to consider,” Barnett said. “The court’s sentence accomplishes the three important factors in these types of cases that the State of Ohio outlined in court: protection of public funds, deterrence to others and restitution to the public entity. I have very much appreciated the assistance of Auditor of State Faber’s staff and the resources of his office in assisting the State of Ohio in this case.”