A former employee of a Centre County township is facing felony charges accusing her of stealing more than $6,000 in public funds.
Former Rush Township secretary/treasurer Jennette R. Sankey, 58, was arraigned Friday on counts of forgery and theft following a monthslong investigation by state police at Rockview.
Sankey, of Clearfield County, admitted to forging a signature on one check drawn from township funds and depositing it for herself, as well as other smaller thefts during her employment from May 2023 to April 2025, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
A township employee told state police in September that he discovered Sankey forged his name on a check for $6,132 from the township’s general accounts and deposited the money for herself in 2024, according to the affidavit.
Sankey refused to cooperate with a certified public accountant’s 2024 audit of the township’s finance, which the employee surmised in hindsight was because it would have revealed her alleged thefts, a trooper wrote.
She resigned in April 2025, which the affidavit indicated occurred before she could be fired.
As Sankey’s alleged thefts came to light, the township notified its attorney, who sent a letter to her requesting that she answer specific questions about the use of township funds. Sankey replied in September with a letter in which she threatened to release information that would cause “chaos” for the township and asked that the situation be resolved “amicably” so that all parties could “move on,” according to the affidavit.
After reviewing township records and financial information, investigators interviewed Sankey in February and March. Sankey admitted to forging the signature on the check and taking the $6,132 for herself, along with other smaller thefts during her two-year employment, a trooper wrote.
She was arraigned by District Judge Allen Sinclair and released on recognizance. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 17.
Sankey is the second employee of a small Centre County township accused of stealing public funds in the last two years.
Former Gregg Township secretary Pamela Hackenburg pleaded guilty in July 2025 to stealing more than $530,000 during her employment from 2019 to 2024. She was sentenced in September to two to four years in state prison.
