Former Jackson Co. employee pleads guilty to computer theft

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A fired purchasing clerk pleads guilty to charges she stole nearly $250,000 worth of computers and electronics gear from Jackson County.

Prosecutors say 32-year-old Laura Soemer's (SOH'-mehrz) guilty plea Monday to two felony counts of theft could result in up to 15 years in prison. Sentencing is slated for May 1.

Soemer was accused of ordering the goods, having them delivered to her attention at her county office and then loading them into her car. Prosecutors say she used her county access data to order the computers, digital cameras and other goods.

Soemer is a single mother of six whose county job paid $27,000 a year. Court records show she lost more than $100,000 at casinos from 1999 until the time of her arrest last July.