Former officials of Fort Gay Sentenced, Motion for probation Denied

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

Former Town of Fort Gay Mayor Joetta Hatfield and former Treasurer/Recorder Sheila Bowen were both sentenced in Wayne County Circuit Court, Thursday, Nov. 13.

Both were given 1 to10 year sentences with one-year mandatory to for each on a charge of embezzlement.

Both will be required to pay restitution to the town in the amount of over $370,000 that between the two was taken from public funding for their personal use in a span of 8 years.

Hatfield admitted to using several of the town’s debit cards to withdraw money for personal use. Records showing a total of 252 times with a total of $125,243.50 in withdrawals, writing 107 unauthorized checks to herself totaling $96,425.20 and 103 checks for Bowen totaling $94,540.14.

Hatfield stood in the courtroom and apologized for her part in the illegal scheme saying she was embarrassed and remorseful for what she had done in the town she loved and supported.

“I stand before you to take full responsibility for what I’ve done,” said Hatfield. “I am deeply remorseful for what I have done to a town I’ve always supported and have taken great pride in.”

Prosecutors said even though Hatfield showed remorse it is of no benefit to the Town of Fort Gay.

However, Bowens’ attorney Valarie Maynard took on a different stance by maintaining her client was only a second signature on checks and that Hatfield was the ringleader making Bowens a part of her embezzlement scheme.

Maynard asked the judge to only give Bowens probation and restitution as her sentence, but not buying into Maynard’s request for probation and that Bowens was only a second signer in the scheme, he denied probation giving her and Hatfield the exact amount of prison time.

According to court documents, a criminal complaint for Bowens charged her with using the Town of Fort Gay’s general account to pay her private AT&T bills on 53 occasions for a total of $16,036.64.

Documents showed Bowen used various Town of Fort Gay Water account numbers to pay her private American Electric Bill on 15 occasions for a total of $8,572.75 and admitted in a recorded audio statement that she paid her personal bills from the town’s accounts. According to the criminal compliant it states that Bowens made a recorded admission that she and Hatfield would meet in her office on Mondays to go over Quickbook registers and conspire to decide which payments to alter or omit. “Furthermore, Bowen stated that not only did they alter the extra unauthorized payments to themselves, but to other vendors costs would be lowered to obscure the true cost as well.

Both were taken into custody from the courtroom and lodged in the West Virginia Western Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority.