HOLLIDAYSBURG - A police investigator testified Tuesday that he identified a common theft scheme in trying to track what happened to more than $6,000 in deposits at the Blair County Sheriff's Department.

"It's called lapping," state trooper Craig Grassmyer said.

The process involves taking a check or checks slated for one deposit and using them to make up for cash removed from another deposit, Grassmyer said.

Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner ruled that District Attorney Richard Consiglio offered enough evidence to send theft and related charges against Diane Wilt, 51, of Roaring Spring to the Blair County Court.

Wilt, a secretary in the sheriff's department for 11 years, was arrested last week and charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft by failure to make disposition of funds. She routinely prepared bank deposit slips, listing cash and checks paid for gun permits and other services handled by the sheriff department.

Attorney Thomas M. Dickey told Aigner that Consiglio offered no evidence pointing to Wilt as the one responsible for the missing money.

"All their evidence points out that it was never her," Dickey said. "Her accounts were always reconciled." Consiglio referred to the lapping scheme as a way "to make it look like it was kosher."

He used testimony from Grassmyer and Blair County Finance Director Tim Brown to establish that between April and September 2008, three deposits with cash and checks, compiled by the sheriff's department, were never turned in to the bank. Instead, checks from those missing deposits were submitted with later deposits in place of cash, Consiglio said.

Dickey tried to convince Aigner that a sheriff's deputy, including ones who have since resigned, could have retained the missing deposits instead of taking them to a bank.

Consiglio shook his head no.

"[The deposit] is only taken by a deputy if a deputy gets it in the first place," Consiglio said.

Grassmyer said he considered Dickey's theory but discarded it after Wilt told him during questioning that she prepared the deposit slips. Grassmyer said he asked Wilt if she took the money, and she said no. He said Wilt hesitated when he asked if she were willing to pay the money back to get the state police investigation to go away, but she then said no because she didn't take the money.

Wilt remains out of jail on $100,000 unsecured bail. She is to have no contact with the sheriff's department.

Her status as a county employee is under discussion between the county and the United Mine Workers of America, the union that represents Wilt.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.