Former Fayette Town clerk sentenced

A former Fayette Town clerk who pleaded guilty to misuse of public money was sentenced in Sixth District Court in Manti on Wednesday.  Tracy Kay Mellor pleaded guilty in October to three 3^rd degree felonies after an investigation revealed she had been writing Town checks to a personal business account for a decade.  Assistant County Attorney Wes Mangum asked for a 60-day jail sentence, saying this was not a spontaneous mishap but a conscious decision that happened over a 10-year period.  Mellor’s attorney pleaded for leniency as she has no criminal record and has taken responsibility for her actions.  He explained that in 2009, Mellor apparently began writing the checks to pay mounting medical bills and had intended to stop and pay the money back.  Judge Wallace Lee told Mellor there was a substantial amount of time spent crafting the deception, but the rest of her life doesn’t have to be defined by her actions.  He sentenced her to three terms of 0-5 years in prison, then suspended the sentences and fines.  Mellor will be placed on probation for 36 months and will serve 45 days in the Sanpete County Jail.  She will pay restitution of $153,390.89  and write a letter of apology to the Fayette Town Council.