The former City Secretary of Merkel was indicted Thursday on an allegation of stealing thousands of dollars from the city.
Gwendolyn Wetsel, 55, was indicted for Theft by Public Servant and accused of
cashing checks in her name and using a City credit card to get cash advances and pay for online gambling for more than a year.
Court documents said the Texas Rangers began investigating Merkel’s finances in February of 2016. Wetsel was arrested in April of 2017.
Official records said Wetsel, “had been issuing checks to herself” then deleting check records. She altered city records to cover up the missing money.
Texas Rangers also learned that Wetsel had charged more than $11,000 to a credit card in the City of Merkel’s name. She originally obtained the card legitimately through Sam’s Club.
The exact amount of money Wetsel stole from the city has not been disclosed, but court records it’s up to $30,000.
Merkel is west of Abilene.
(Information from bigcountryhomepage.com)
