Court News, (Central Nebraska Today)
FARNAM — A former Farnam village clerk was sentenced to pay restitution and probation after pleading no contest to amended charges.
Darcy Gurule, 41, had been charged with theft of services, $501-1,499, a Class 1 misdemeanor and official misconduct, a Class 2 misdemeanor.
In exchange for pleading no contest to the official misconduct charge, the first was dismissed by the court. A no contest plea is neither an admission nor denial of guilt, but the plea is treated the same as a guilty plea.
Gurule was sentenced to pay restitution amounting to $3,151.53 and to six months’ probation.
Gurule is the former Farnam Village Clerk but was terminated from her duties in July 2024. She later ran for a position on Farnam’s village board and was elected to serve a four-year term.
According to the affidavit for arrest filed in court, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Farnam City Attorney Brennon Malcom who had been reviewing past water bills and discovered that Gurule had not paid her water bill to the Village of Farnam for at least 15 months.
As a result of the investigation, Gurule allegedly provided herself with 24 months of free water, sewer and trash from the Village of Farnam. This resulted in the loss of more than $1,900.
There were several months in which payment on bills were reportedly made and then later removed.
The reported crimes occurred between Sept. 22, 2023 and July 31, 2024.