Daughter of Park City mayor charged with theft of government funds

A longtime Park City employee and daughter of Mayor Steve Pannell has been charged in connection with the theft of more than $20,000 from the city, authorities said Tuesday.

Amy Sutton, 49, of Lindenhurst has pleaded not guilty to charges of theft of government property, forgery and official misconduct after an investigation by the Lake County state's attorney's office, authorities said.

If found guilty of the most serious theft of government property charge, Sutton could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison, authorities said. Forgery and misconduct charges are probationable.

She is free from Lake County jail on a $50,000 recognizance bond, authorities said.

Attorneys Doug and Joseph Zeit were unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Fred Day said it is alleged that while in charge of Park City's municipal payroll, Sutton illegally issued checks to herself between December 2012 and October 2018.

Pannell, who has been mayor of Park City for 18 years, said his daughter has been employed by Park City for 16 years.

"When this whole thing came about, we turned the entire investigation over to the state's attorney's office," Pannell said. "She was then placed on administrative leave."

Sutton has since been fired from her job. She is due back in court Dec. 7 for a case management hearing.