March 19, 2024

City clerk get probation after theft conviction

ORANGE CITY — The former city clerk of Boyden in northwest Iowa has been placed on probation after pleading guilty to stealing money from the city.

Former city clerk Beth Sipma, of Sheldon, was placed on probation Monday after pleading guilty in Sioux County District Court to one count of first-degree theft. She was ordered to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and nearly $55,000 in restitution to Boyden to cover the lost money and the city’s costs of reviewing and correcting its finances.

Police arrested Sipma in June after a state audit showed she made more than $36,000 in improper spending between 2013 and 2015.

Boyden is a city of about 700 people, about 10 miles north of Orange City.