What a shame.

If the money was paid back prior to a plea agreement, why have we not heard of this egregious crime sooner? As a taxpayer, I want to see proof of this payment.

She worked for the Tax Collector's office, not the Assessor's office, where she collected and pocketed the funds mentioned. Maybe her dad she loan her the balance that she owes to clean the slate. I'm sure he makes a pretty good living. This taxpayer would appreciate him doing so.

The taxpayers should be provided with proof that the repayment occurred.

And potentially no jail time. "Who you know, not what you know". Daughter of a freeloader gets off without a perp walk and jail. Doesn't even get arrested. How nice!

Nepatism at it's best. Guarantee county republicans will take care of their own and she will never see the inside of a jail.

These freeloaders need to go.

as do the 13 Commissioners at the OCUA loaded with nepotism who receive 5 k a year and FREE Benefits

Can I have her job? Obviously there's a vacancy!

Guess she wasn't cut out to be in government. After all, she was one of the very few who got caught.

When are the residents of Ocean County going
to wake up? Townships have been run by "Rino's"
for many years. As a Conservative Republican, I do not
recognize my party. Thought when making the move
and decision to leave the Democratic run county, things
would be different ... that was a big mistake ...
FREELOADERS ABOUND ... CRONYISM, NEPOTISM,
STACKED PENSIONS, some without the credentials for
the jobs they were appointed or put on a ballot.
The Ocean County GOP Political Machine is alive and well.
Arrogance like one has never seen ... face the northern
counties are run for the most part by Democrats, with the
Southern counties run by GOP Political Machine.

wake up people.... the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
not the least surprised,,,,,,,

funny how there's no talk about a possible sentence...........

So she is a thief! Steals 40k, gets caught, and decides to pay it back, and that's OK? Isn't stealing 40k a felony?

Questions.
1. How was she caught?
2. Did her Dad suspect anything? If not why not? He want to be OC Sheriff.
Judge Blaney is from the Starkey law firm... democrat.

give her a break.......its not like she killed another person when hungry for a hoagie

it only sucks because you sheep allow it to suck

How many times do you have to be told to KILL THE MACHINE, THAT IS KILLING YOU !!!!!!!!!!!

I am sure some of the patch will be pleased to hear this , but i am seriously done trying to warn you people.......i had nothing but good intentions, but you all deserve what you get from these public leeches.......GOOD LUCK !

I guess her resume, made her the best person for the job......Who hired her ???......They should be fired as well......

It's my understanding, Ms. Kelly still lives at home with her parents.
How could Freeholder Kelly not suspect anything?

Tip of the ice berg of the corruption that goes on in this county.

Apples don't fall far from the tree.....

And Freeholder Kelly had his own problems recently when he was in an auto accident and the other driver was killed.

When you are a Freeloaders daughter life is good. Didnt Freeloader Vicari's daughter just get quite a few appointments with Berkeley Township.

Mr. ?,

She didn't decide to give it back. She had to give it back, as much as it must have pained her. There is still $6500.00 missing, and that in it's self is a first degree felony. No jail time...no arrest...I bet she learned a valuable lesson...NOT.

I wonder how she got the job to begin with, could it be nepotism since her father is a freeholder? If her father paid back the money, than actually paid it back since he is a triple dipper on the taxpayer's dime. Finally it was already reported she is only getting probation, let me guess how that happened, could it again be because of daddy? I know if she had no connections I am sure she would get more than just probation.

The Little Egg excuse....PTSD...did she claim that too? Maybe all those angry tax payers sent her over the deep end! One lies and the other one swears by it. Everything is hush hush when it comes to "their own". Joe Schmo gets caught with half a joint and shit it makes the nightly news. Yee Haw! Good ole boys rubbing each others backs. Disgusting.

According to the Asbury Park Press, she was stealing the money to suport a drug addiction. So if I have this right, her father, as a freeholder is the Ocean County Director of Law, and Safety.....(wait I have regain my composure from laughing....). His 30 year old daughter is stealing the cash from taxpayers, while at a job her daddy got her, for her drug addiction. She stole $40.000, and has to pay $6500 fine, and get 1 year probation.......you can't make this stuff up folks.

Drugs are so often a part of it. She needs to go to jail for a long time.

least she was caught and maybe they there will be standards put into place so something like this doesnt happen ever again.....JRC

It is amazing!!! You hear judges all the time saying for small offensives "drugs areno excuse," just before they send you up the river! This lady steals a huge sum of money and gets a "its ok honey," I am so sick of the connected in this county just waking!!! Heck, her father KILLED SOMEONE AND DIDN'T EVEN GET A DARN TICKET!!!!!

I think the only person responsible for Dawn Marie Kelly is Dawn Marie Kelly. Parents raise their kids an hope for the best. She is 30 years old and as to why her parents didn t realize she took $40k.. it s really not that much money it's $800 a week. Her superiors should have caught it immediately. Do i think she should be punished, absolutely.

Joseph Stack a former investigator for the state Division of Taxation pleaded guilty today to using his access to taxpayer accounts to steal $6,630, the state Attorney General's Office said.
Joseph Stack, 61, of Toms River, admitted that from 2005 to 2006, he made three unauthorized transfers of money from the business accounts of two taxpayers into accounts of his dead mother and another relative, the office said in a news release.
Stack pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by unlawful taking after being indicted in 2009.
Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of about a year in county jail, full restitution and a prohibition on future public employment in New Jersey.
WHY ISN'T KELLY GETTING THE SAME SENTENCE AS THIS CROOK!!!

I would like to know if her pleading guilty included being precluded from any future work in Government, because I am sure Kelly will try to find a place for his daughter somewhere in some government job by means of nepotism. I am also disgusted that this woman plead guilty to a 3rd degree crime of theft over a month ago and this is the first we're really hearing about it....

I guess crime DOES pay when your a Freeholders daughter. If I did the same crime you think I would get a slap on the wrist? HECK NO!

Let's see how the State Attorney General's Office handles this matter......
Little Egg Committeeman Ed Nutall told Patch: "The important thing is this was discovered. It is regretful, but hopefully justice has now been done."
WHAT DO YOU MEAN JUSTICE HAS NOW BEEN DONE ED NUT ALL.... GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT!!

I'm sure she got the job because she was the most qualified, not because she was the freeloaders daughter. You people should be ashamed of yourselves for thinking otherwise.

APP reporting AG recomending probation.

dont worry Sheriff Polhemus , who you all just voted in, will get to the bottom of this

You have no idea what pull (or intimidation) Freeholder Kelly has.......he should be investigated. Any other person would be looking at jail time.
But everyone keeps re-electing him. Shame on the voters of Ocean County for re-electing him. (you really have no idea)

Wow John Kelly sure has his plate full this past year. He had an accident which resulted in a death of a 24 year old motorcyclist. (reported by the Berkeley Patch May 19, 2012).

Joe Portash article a few days ago reminded us all about the thievery that goes on in the county and townships. I believe a few Manchester employees went to prison for stealing from the taxpayers back then. It is worse now.

Ermehgerd!

I say "we the people" have the State Attorney General's Office conduct a major investigation on all the Toms River Town Officials. Corruption is way out of hand and it needs to stop!!

hmmmm..... why did it take the TR Patch so long to post this article??

Teach your children well. Parents must be proud.

Steal do drugs and AND DADDY WILL GET YOU OFF. OH I FORGOT ABOVE THE LAW THIS JUDGE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND IF NOT HAVE TO ANSWER UP TO A JURY OF RESIDENTS WHO HAD THE TAX MONEY STOLEN..POLTICS IN OCEAN COUNTY AS CORRUPT AS MONEY IS GREEN

Why did the reporter not find out and report what the sentence was??? This thief needs to be prosecuted for a felony and treated as any other felon, including prison time. Why was the "accident" report on her father never reported here??? It is high time to stop the Republican Machine in Ocean County. Wake up and go to the polls and oust these people!

wow..how do you screw up connections like that. Who knows what kind of big money jobs this could have lead to for her.

I do find it funny that people defend drug addicts and other trash on here. I only wish they held the other trash to the same standards.

She should be treated the same as everyone else. Someone should check the record and see what other government employees got for embezzling money. I believe she could have been charged with mis conduct and sent to prison. I know more than a few people stole money from governments in Ocean County and all went to jail or prison. Was there political interference or influence by an over zealous dad who just happens to be a freeholder? The governor's office should investigate the attorney general who made the recommendation, the judge who accepted it and the freeholder who brokered it. And we should get to see what the audit determined was missing, maybe it was more or maybe it was less. Also how much of it was really paid back. Just some simple questions that need to be truthfully answered.

Somebody should call the FBI to investigate who made the recommendation, the judge who accepted it and the freeholder who brokered it.

Has anyone asked Mr. Kelly if he withdrew from the Sheriff's race or is he still going for it?

Rumors have it this was not the first time Ms Kelly was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. And the Little Egg Harbor Mayor was covering for the thief in hopes he would be tapped for a freeholder run when Jack Kelly moved... Like I said, rumors, but the Mayor's girlfriend runs the tax collector department where the taxpayers funds were being stolen for months if not years without detection?

Carol, Agreed...It is ultimately the daughters bad behavior and dishonesty. She should be the one who should be held responsible and held accountable. It is possible that her parents did not hold her responsible for anything growing up. Some kids continually get away with bad behavior therefore they never learn. Some parents make excuses for their kids no matter what they do. I don't know if that was the case. Maybe the father should have said, enough you are on your own on this. Maybe she would learn. Now, your father might have great character. It surely sounds that way. Not everyone has great character. Never did and never will. I agree with your dad. I don't know how old you are? But kicking a kids behind today will end a parent in jail. I will tell you this, In my years I have seen a lot of Mayors kids, pretty much anyone politically connected or with clout in all the different towns from south to north of NJ, schools, township employees, police officials kids or family members get special treatment in many different ways. Including getting out of whole lot of trouble, stealing from town jobs, along with breaking a lot of laws. They would sweep it under the rug. A lot of towns people new and just looked the other way.

Not for nutin, but has anyone ever really taken alook at this dude? I mean geez, what else would he be able to do?

Its called discipline. Make your kids be responsible and accountable. Do you know what my parents told my siblings and I. We are poor, if you get in trouble we have no money to get you out. We do not know anyone special, popular or with power. So if you do the crime you pay the time. You will stay in jail. That was always in the back of our mind. Guess what? I tell my children the same thing.

BTW...It works!!

He used to be a SkyCap at AC Airport.

But yet the Republicans in ocean county will continue to ignore the obvious corruption going on here and continue to vote republican right on down the line. They just voted a guy on his death bed as sheriff. Wake up people! Lets get new blood into county offices. Stop voting party lines and vote against corrupt officials!

In Ocean County, I guess only the little people have to follow the law