Court clerk stole from judge’s wallet, police allege

SAGUENAY, Canada — A courthouse clerk in Quebec has been charged with stealing money from a judge’s wallet in her office.

Authorities allege that the woman took about $150 in the incident in Saguenay, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.

The newspaper Le Quotidien du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean reported Wednesday that Sabrina Desbiens was charged with theft of less than $5,000, with the case coming to light only when her name appeared on a court docket Tuesday.

She has been suspended without pay and is not permitted inside the courthouse, except as a defendant.

Desbiens had worked as a court clerk for about 10 years, the newspaper said.

Authorities had suspected that someone was stealing from judges since the fall of 2017, but lacked evidence.

Video from security cameras installed with the approval of judges led to the arrest.