LINCOLN — City computer records wiped clean, a data backup system disabled and 21 years of documents removed.
Those actions were taken by Denise Peterson, the city of Ponca clerk/treasurer/administrator, just prior to her dismissal on Feb. 1 by a new mayor, according to a State Auditor’s report released Tuesday.
The auditor’s nine-page report suggested that Peterson, who worked for the northeast Nebraska community for 21 years, may have violated state laws prohibiting the destruction and misuse of city records.
In addition, the auditor raised questions about two instances in which Peterson was issued two paychecks for the same work periods, and the possible misuse of a city credit card.
Intent was to leave ‘city cupboards bare’
Ponca city officials, in response to the audit, said that Peterson actions were “deliberate and premeditated to leave all the city cupboards bare and the city non-operational.”
The city incurred “excessive costs” in an attempt to recreate and retrieve documents removed or destroyed by the clerk, city officials told the auditor.
State…
