Former Monroe County public administrator gets 10-year prison sentence

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Former Monroe County Public Administrator Jessica Chase was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday, the Monroe County prosecutor’s office confirmed in a Thursday press release.

Chase, 49, of Paris, pleaded guilty to financially exploiting a disabled person, stealing and filing false documents.

She served in the public administrator role from 2021 through February 2024, according to prior court records, and was accused of stealing money “from the custodial accounts of disabled persons under her care,” the release says.

A federal investigation is still pending with the Social Security Administration, the prosecutor’s office wrote.

The probable cause statement in the case accuses Chase of taking at least $16,000 in purchases and cash withdrawals from victim’s accounts between March 16-Dec. 22, 2023. The prosecutor's office wrote that roughly $23,000 was stolen in total.