Former clerk Amy Simpson was charged after a state audit accused her of stealing funds from defendants who paid fees to the clerk’s office in August and September 2010, said Circuit Court Clerk Laura Bohling.

Sheriff Deputies booked Simpson Thursday into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

Simpson was terminated Friday, Oct. 15 on unrelated issues, Bohling said. When clerks cleaned out her desk Oct. 19, a document was found in Simpson’s handwriting indicating a theft from a defendant.

Under state law, Bohling requested an audit from the Tennessee Comptroller’s office. Auditors checked the clerk’s records from July 2009 through October 2010 and found the suspected theft.

“This was isolated to one clerk in a two-month period from August and September,” Bohling said. “They didn’t find any other discrepancies.”

State auditors presented their evidence to the Rutherford County grand jury whose members returned the sealed indictment. Simpson is scheduled to receive a copy of her indictment Feb. 18 in Circuit Court.