SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A woman who has worked for Seminole County for more than a decade is off the job and under criminal investigation.
She's accused of stealing thousands of dollars that she was hired to collect from taxpayers.
WFTV found out Patricia Johnson had no other complaints in her personnel file.
Johnson hid behind the door when WFTV's Q McCray tried to talk with her on Monday night.
But Seminole County officials say she had no qualms about stealing from taxpayers.
"We want to talk to you about the allegations of you stealing from Seminole County. Do you have anything to say about that?" McCray asked.
"Oh my God, no," she replied.
But the county says it fired Johnson because she pocketed cash from people who came in to purchase project permits, then handed out bogus receipts.
"There were allegations about improprieties with money and they were looked at by the department," said Randy Petitt, human resources director.
Now the sheriff's office is investigating.
Johnson worked for the county for 12 years and was a senior staff assistant before she was fired.
The county recorded at least 28 instances of missing money since January 2010 for a total of $4,000. And they said there could be more.
"What do you think about you being terminated from your job?" WFTV asked.
"Please go away," said Johnson.
Johnson is appealing her termination.
In the worst-case scenario, Johnson could serve jail time and lose all her state pension, which could be substantial.
Incorporating the six years she worked with the Department of Children and Families, she's been a state employee for almost 20 years.
But WFTV also discovered she was arrested on grand larceny charges in 1990.
Johnson could be arrested for these new allegations.
The next step in the appeal process for her job is a hearing in front of a grievance board. The board would then make a recommendation to the county manager.