Leah Mulholland is headed to Drug Court.

The convicted felon formally agreed to participate in the specialized court during a probation revocation-related hearing Monday in Hamilton County.

Through the agreement, Mulholland “admitted to the violation of her probation.”

As a result, in addition to her participation in Drug Court, her probation will be extended by one year and she will continue to make regular restitution payments in her case.

In January 2021, Mulholland was given a 10-year suspended prison sentence, five years probation and a $1,000 fine, which was also suspended, on a charge of first-degree theft.

She entered a guilty plea on Dec. 4, 2020, on the theft charge. Three other charges — ongoing criminal conduct – influence enterprise, forgery and unauthorized use of credit cards over $1,500 and under $10,000 — were dismissed by the court.

Mulholland was originally arrested in February 2020 following a lengthy investigation related to more than $239,586.23 in improper disbursements from the Webster City Chamber of Commerce during the time of her employment there.

The office of the Auditor of State conducted an audit for the period of Oct. 1, 2013, through June 30, 2018. The audit report was released July 3, 2019. It found 367 checks issued to Mulholland totaling $236,313.03. Of those checks, 139 were payroll checks; four were bonuses and two were reimbursements.

The other 222 were unauthorized checks ranging in amounts from $20 to $2,000. There were also $23,602.83 of unsupported disbursements, according to the auditor’s report.

Auditors also found 846 debit card transactions; only 107 were properly supported by Chamber records.

Drug Court is a prison diversion program, started in 2015, that aims to help those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and facing criminal charges get sober and get their lives back on track.

Clients are referred to the program after being arrested on their initial charges or on a probation revocation. They can be referred to the program by their probation officer, the prosecutor or their own attorney.

The program is divided into five phases, which include early recovery, decision making, relapse prevention, personal planning, maintaining personal growth and long-term planning.

With Drug Court, clients are seen in front of a judge each week, must obtain a mental health evaluation and follow through with any recommended therapy or medication. They’re also required to obtain substance abuse evaluations and comply with treatment.

In order to graduate from the program — which usually can take about 18 months — clients have to obtain suitable long-term housing, gain employment and maintain long-term sobriety.