Former Racine corrections officer sentenced for skimming inmate fees

RACINE, Wis. (AP) — A former corrections officer with the Racine County Sheriff’s Office has been to eight months in the county jail for stealing more than $11,000 in fees she collected from inmates.

Barbara Teeling, was charged with two counts of theft in a business setting and attempted misconduct while in office.

A plea deal reduced the charges from felonies to misdemeanors. Judge Robert Repischak told the 40-year-old Teeling that he would have sent her to prison if she had pleaded guilty to a felony.

The judge added that Teeling also took the public trust, which she cannot repay. Teeling will be allowed to leave the jail to go to work.