Woman Who Stole From Preschool Is Sentenced To Jail

A Mentor woman was sentenced to jail Tuesday morning in Mentor Municipal Court for stealing from a preschool.

Stacy Neace, 37, was sentenced to a total of 180 days in jail. However, Judge John Trebets suspended 150 days of that punishment.

But Neace will have to serve five days in Lake County Jail -- starting Jan. 7, 2013 -- and another 25 days on house arrest.

Neace has already paid the $6,900 she stole from Mentor Co-Operative Preschool in restitution, according to court records.

Neace also completed a 5-week theft offender's course with the court's probation department.

Neace was put on probation for the next six months. If she violates her probation, she could be forced to serve the 150 days of her jail sentence that were suspended.

Neace took the money from the preschool from 2009 to 2011 while she served as its president.

She told Mentor Police that she had borrowed money from the school, intending to pay it back but had not, Lt. Dan Molnar said when Neace was first arrested.

The Mentor Co-Operative Preschool was founded in 1962 and is entirely funded by fundraising and tuition. Consequently, the preschool is owned by the parents who have children in the school.

While it has teachers that teach the children, parents also participate and donate supplies.

The preschool is housed in Mentor Plains United Methodist Church but it is not directly associated with the church.