A former Mid-Prairie School District employee’s preliminary hearing is set for later this month. Cindy Steege of North Liberty is accused of making approximately $8,000 worth of unauthorized charges on a district credit card.

She was serving as business manager when discrepancies in the district’s finances were uncovered in late June. An internal investigation led to the involvement of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the State Auditor’s Office.

According to Washington County Attorney Larry Brock the defendant had her initial appearance at the Washington County Courthouse yesterday. Steege’s preliminary hearing is set for July 23rd. Brock says since this is an ongoing criminal trial, he’s unable to release additional information at this time.