LARNED — An Ottawa County woman was convicted of theft, concluding a two-day jury trial last week in Pawnee County District Court.

In a release from the Pawnee County Attorney’s Office, Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett noted that Judi Lynn Allison, 50, of Delphos, stood trial on a charge of theft stemming from a 2019 incident involving tools missing from an estate auction. 

A jury of seven men and five women heard testimony that on Sept. 28, 2019, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a residence north of Garfield regarding a possible theft. A sheriff’s deputy was advised upon arrival that when the executrix and auctioneer arrived to prepare for an October estate auction they discovered all of the tools had been removed from a service truck that had been locked in a tool shed. At trial, the auctioneer testified that approximately eight toolboxes had been full of tools valued at approximately $1,200 when he had prepared the sale bill the month before. 

Testimony offered noted that several family members had been granted access to the property to select sentimental items from the house and outbuildings and Allison, youngest daughter of the deceased, had selected several items too large for transport and was granted permission to retrieve them at a later date.

A trail cam video from Sept. 5, 2019, confirmed Allison and her husband were on the property for about two hours. A neighbor also testified he had seen six large boxes of tools loaded in their enclosed trailer.

A search warrant was executed for Allison’s Ottawa County residence seeking 21 shop tools missing from the auction sale bill. Law enforcement seized nine items from the residence.

The jury deliberated approximately 30 minutes before returning a guilty verdict for theft of property less than $1,500. After accepting the verdict, Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman ordered a pre-sentence investigation be completed to determine a restitution amount. Sentencing will be scheduled following the completion of the report. Allison remains free on her own recognizance.