- A former fiscal officer faces more than four years in prison for misusing $127,000 of public money.
- Cy Vierstra spent it on an extraordinary array of items for the private Union Ridge Wildlife Center.
- The list included animals, a gaming console, a snow cone machine, a drum kit, and a swimming pool.
An Ohio public official spent thousands of dollars of public money on items for a private roadside zoo, including two snow owls from England, a wildebeest, and hot tubs.
Ohio's state auditor announced on Tuesday that Cy Vierstra, the former fiscal officer for the tiny Vinton Township, had been sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison for theft, corruption, and tampering with records.
A special investigation found that over the course of 812 credit card transactions, Vierstra spent $127,204 on a vast array of goods and animals, many of which wound up in the not-for-profit Union Ridge Wildlife Center and Airbnb.
"Public funds that were supposed to be used for roads and bridges and needed services instead were stolen to buy kayaks, a popcorn cart, a swimming pool, a drum set, gazebos – the list goes on and on," Auditor of State Keith Faber said in a statement.
Other items bought with the misappropriated cash were generators, bicycles, a video game system, tricycles, telescopes, a drone, windows for a primate enclosure, animal food, furniture, and a snow cone machine.
The Airbnb at the wildlife center is listed at $112 a night and features lakeside decking, an open fireplace and a hot tub.
One visitor shared images in February from the site on TikTok:
The investigation was triggered when Vinton County Auditor Cindy Owings Waugh tipped off the unit about her suspicions that Vierstra was misusing credit cards.
Reviewing bank records, investigators found nearly four years' worth of questionable transactions, which Vierstra had covered up with fake invoices and bills.
Meanwhile, animal-rights group PETA took possession of four chimpanzees from the wildlife center last week, the group said.
PETA earlier tipped off the Ohio Department of Agriculture to the fact that the center was playing host to Tonka, a chimpanzee at the center of a bizarre hoaxing attempt by private animal owner Tonia Haddix.
In 2021, Haddix had attempted to fake Tonka's death in order to keep the chimp out of PETA's custody, as Rolling Stone reported.
Insider's request for comment sent to an email associated with Vierstra bounced back on Wednesday.