A magistrate's assistant in Kanawha County hasn't been back to work since law enforcement officers asked her in April to answer questions about missing money, according to two magistrates.
Doris Aliff left work after sheriff's deputies in Kanawha asked her to take a polygraph examination, said the two magistrates, who spoke to the Gazette-Mail on the condition of anonymity. Aliff, the magistrates said, never took the polygraph and hasn't returned to work.
A different assistant in magistrate court, who admits she forgot to put the money in the safe at the end of her shift, took a polygraph test and passed, the sources said.
Aliff worked the next morning, the two magistrates said. She is an assistant for Kanawha Magistrate Tim Halloran. Aliff has not been charged with a crime.
A little more than $1,000 is missing, according to court officials. Deputies would not confirm the names of any employees who have been questioned as part of the investigation or reveal the amount of money that's missing.
At the end of each shift, a magistrate's assistant is supposed to deposit the money collected that day from fines, among other court costs, into a small safe in the office.
"In this case, the assistant, for whatever reason, left [the money] in a drawer instead of putting it into the safe," a magistrate said Friday, adding they have seen surveillance footage from cameras near where the money is kept. Deputies have also seen the video footage.
A spokesman for the sheriff's office would not comment on the case Friday and said the matter is still being investigated.
"Additional interviews are expected, and some evidence is still being analyzed," said Sgt. Brian Humphreys. "Unfortunately, it is not prudent for us to release many details about the investigation at this time.
"We take seriously each instance of missing public money, and believe the truth of the matter will be known and made public in time," he said.
Charleston attorney John Mitchell Jr. couldn't be reached for comment Friday. Several people have identified him as Aliff's attorney. Aliff also could not be reached.
Aliff recently notified the court administrator's office in Kanawha that she was extending her leave of absence through August, the two magistrates said.
In mid-April, a detective with the Sheriff's Office was assigned to investigate missing money from the magistrate court, chief deputy Mike Rutherford said at the time.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.