PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — A state circuit judge could decide later this week whether the woman accused of stealing more than $1.7 million from the South Dakota Department of Social Services over a period of 14 years while she worked in the child-protection office can have a forensic accountant and a mental health professional help in her defense.
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Her court-appointed attorney, Timothy Whalen, claims in a recent court filing that the mental-health professional is necessary because there is evidence that the 68-year-old defendant, Lonna Carroll, “may suffer from an obsessive-compulsive disorder known as Hoarder Disorder.” He has also requested a continuance in the case because, he says, discovery issues have been in litigation.
Carroll was arrested on July 17 on charges of aggravated grand theft over $500,000, which is a Class 2 felony punishable by up to 25 years in state prison and a fine up to $50,000; and of aggravated grand theft over $100,000, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to 15 years and a $30,000 fine.