NEWS MEDIA INFORMATION REPORT
SUBJECT OF RELEASE: UPDATE**Embezzlement from area Townships
DATE AND TIME: 2012 to November 2017
LOCATION: Evergreen, Bushnell and Day Townships, Montcalm County
AUTHORITY/CONTACT PERSON: Sheriff Michael J. Williams
UPDATE
On 07/31/2018, Donna Goodsell pleaded no contest to one count of embezzlement of $1,000 to $20,000 which is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Goodsell's next scheduled court appearance is a restitution hearing on October 10, 2018. At that hearing, the court will calculate the amount of money that Goodsell must repay to the townships that she worked for.
Sheriff Williams requests that citizens who purchased cemetery plots in the Evergreen Township, Day Township, or Bushnell Township cemeteries during 2012 to 2017 contact their township hall to verify that their transaction was properly documented.
Evergreen Twp.
PO Box 147
Sheridan, MI 48884-0147
Township Hall, 3044 E. Sidney Rd., Stanton
Phone: (989) 831-9043
Day Twp.
1151 N. Deja Rd.
Stanton, MI 48888
Township Hall, 2085 Main St., McBride
Phone: (989) 287-2247
Bushnell Twp.
175 E. Fenwick
Fenwick, MI 48834
Township Hall, 2983 E. Boyer, Fenwick
Phone: (989) 248-3349
ORIGINAL NEWS RELEASE
Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office conducted an ongoing investigation regarding embezzlement from Evergreen and Day Township after a complaint was filed regarding financial record inconsistencies. It was determined that the embezzlement occurred between 2012 and 2017. The investigation led to the arrest of a 60 year old Fenwick woman.
The investigation revealed that Donna Mae Goodsell was employed by both townships to be the sexton of their cemeteries. Goodsell’s duties included the sale of plots, maintenance, opening and closing of graves sites, and contracting for the setting of headstone footings. Goodsell allegedly did not properly forwarding all of the funds she received from residents to the respective Townships.
On November 30, 2017, Goodsell turned herself in to the Sheriff’s Office and was arrested on two felony warrants. Goodsell is charged with one count of embezzlement from each of the townships and is currently out on bond. The maximum sentence for each charge is 5 years in prison.
"Thankfully, there is no evidence that individual citizens were overcharged. While the township governments did not receive the payments, no individuals appear to be victims," said Sheriff Williams.
Goodsell’s next court date is December 8th, 2017.
