COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jessica Dicken, a former Hocking County Commissioner, paid over $25,000 in restitution on Tuesday after pleading guilty to theft and other criminal charges linked to fraudulent credit card purchases.
In a ruling handed down in Hocking County Common Pleas Court, Dicken was ordered to complete 500 hours of community service and will be under community control for five years as part of her sentence.
The case came to light after the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched an inquiry following complaints about the misuse of the Hocking County Agricultural Society’s credit card, which Dicken used during her tenure as the Society’s secretary. The investigation revealed that she made more than $19,000 in unauthorized purchases, including expenses related to her 2022 campaign for Hocking County Commissioner, a rental vehicle for a family vacation in Florida, and various other items.
Dicken was indicted by a Hocking County Grand Jury in September 2023, subsequently suspended from her position as commissioner, and eventually resigned from the elected role.
In August 2024, she pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft and telecommunications fraud, as well as a misdemeanor count of soliciting or accepting improper compensation. As part of her plea agreement, she was ordered to pay a total of $25,090.69 in restitution, which includes $14,417.02 to the Hocking County Agricultural Society, $4,667.17 to Vinton County National Bank, and $6,006.50 in audit costs.
The SIU, which served as special prosecutor in this case, has secured 125 convictions since 2019, resulting in over $9 million in restitution. The unit receives numerous tips regarding suspected fraud each year, which can be reported anonymously online or through its fraud hotline at 866-FRAUD-OH (866-372-8364).
