Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman has charged Rose A. Hammes, 52, with three counts of felony theft.
The thefts, totaling over $116,000, were from Hammes’ employer, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and occurred between 2010 and 2014, while she was the communications and planning director for the archdiocese, according to a spokesman for the district attorney.
Two of the counts, occurring prior to July 1, 2011, are level nine felonies, punishable by up to 17 months in prison. The third count, covering activity after July 1, 2011, when the Kansas theft statute was changed, is a level five felony, punishable by up to 11.3 years in prison.
The theft was initially discovered and investigated by the archdiocese, which turned the matter over to the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, a spokesman for the district attorney stated. The district attorney then requested that the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department investigate the matter.
Hammes surrendered herself to the Wyandotte County Sheriff on March 16. She is currently in the Wyandotte County Jail. Bond was set at $50,000. Her next court appearance is at 2 p.m. March 23 in division 13 of the district court.
Hammes is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, the district attorney’s office stated.