Former McArthur utility clerk Cathy Stoughton indicted on theft, tampering charges

A criminal case tied to McArthur’s utility office moved forward after former Village of McArthur utility clerk Cathy J. Stoughton entered a guilty plea to multiple charges following an Auditor of State investigation that identified missing deposits. The Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit said, “SIU determined that she had failed to deposit portions of utility payments between January 2021 and April 2024.”

The Vinton County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Stoughton with six counts: one felony count of theft in office, four felony counts of tampering with records, and one misdemeanor count of soliciting improper compensation, according to the Auditor’s office press release. The press release identifies those counts as the basis for the grand jury action against the former clerk.

Stoughton worked as McArthur’s utility clerk from January 2004 until her resignation in July 2025, and the Auditor’s release states she was solely responsible for preparing utility bills and collecting, posting, and depositing utility payments. The Special Investigations Unit said it opened a criminal probe in March 2024 after discrepancies surfaced during the village’s regular financial audit.

A local court report indicates Stoughton, listed as 72 and of McArthur, appeared in Vinton County Common Pleas Court for a change-of-plea hearing on Feb. 11 and that she pled guilty to three of the six counts in the indictment; sentencing was scheduled following the change-of-plea, according to that report. The Auditor’s announcement and regional coverage together reflect both the grand-jury charges and the subsequent guilty plea, though court docket entries will provide formal confirmation of which counts led to convictions and the schedule for sentencing.

The Auditor’s office emphasized that the SIU’s criminal probe remains ongoing while the county court proceeds with plea and sentencing matters. The Auditor’s release placed the Stoughton matter in the context of the SIU’s statewide work, noting that since 2019 the unit has assisted in 143 convictions resulting in more than $13 million in restitution and that the team fields hundreds of tips annually via its fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).

For official information on the investigation, the Auditor of State’s press contact is Marc Kovac at press@ohioauditor.gov. Auditor Keith Faber’s office, which audits more than 5,900 state and local government agencies, said it will continue to provide updates as the Vinton County court files sentencing orders and as the SIU completes its criminal investigation.