Eau Claire County’s embezzlement case could spark a new law.
Eau Claire state Rep. Warren Petryk [[ peet-rick ]] and Chippewa Falls state Senator Kathy Bernier yesterday introduced a new law that would allow prosecutors to go after someone’s pension if they are convicted of stealing from taxpayers.
Petryk and Bernier say the case of former Eau Claire County Treasurer Larry Lokken inspired the plan. Lokken and his deputy treasurer are in jail and facing a 681-thousand-dollar tab for stealing from taxpayers, but the state cannot take that money from their pensions. The new plan would change that going forward, but wouldn’t impact Lokken’s case.
