A Saxonburg woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $131,000 from Clinton Township over a four-year span while she worked as township secretary.

Margaret Nelson, 54, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor access device fraud and theft by unlawful taking before Butler County Judge William Shaffer.

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of Intermediate Punishment set by the court at sentencing with six months to be served on house arrest or electronic monitoring, and probation to follow.

She will also be ordered to pay restitution and fines and complete 50 hours of community service.

Nelson was initially charged with felony restricted activities — conflict of interest, access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and receiving stolen property and misdemeanor tampering with records. The charges to which she pleaded were later changed to misdemeanors and the remaining counts will be dismissed.

She is scheduled for sentencing June 13.

Nelson's attorney, Michael Muha, said that $140,000 has already been paid toward restitution, fines and court costs, and is being held in escrow at the Clerk of Courts office.

State police charged Nelson, who also is the former township zoning officer, after an investigation into the Clinton Township books found that more than $131,000 was stolen from township coffers between March 4, 2011, and Oct. 6, 2015.

Police said Nelson wrote 35 checks from the township payroll tax account totaling $97,784 as well as five checks to herself from the township general fund totaling $33,384.

She also was charged with using a township credit card to make personal purchases from the Home Shopping Network.

According to the affidavit, “Nelson admitted to documenting misleading information in the township ledger. She admitted to stealing money from the township, but was unsure of the total amount stolen” as well as admitting to purchasing items on the township credit card for her personal use, “indicated it was a mistake, and that she intended to pay the money back.”

Nelson had been a township employee for more than a decade, serving as full-time secretary for eight years. She was later fired by the township supervisors.