Bucyrus councilmember accused of stealing over $50,000 from disabled person

BUCYRUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Crawford County woman who has been censured and removed from meetings while serving with the Bucyrus City Council is under investigation on allegations of disabilities fraud in excess of $50,000.

According to the Crawford County Sheriff's Office, a complaint from the Crawford County Board of Developmental and Disabilities was received in October in reference to possible theft violations.

The complaint alleges that 71-year-old Carolyn Shireman, of Bucyrus, was misspending finances of a man with developmental disabilities, for whom she serves as a power of attorney. Shireman has also previously been charged with telephone harassment and was removed from a council meeting in July after a dispute with a citizen.

A case manager reportedly attempted to obtain checking account information on behalf of the victim on multiple occasions. The sheriff’s office said that the case manager was only given a partial month’s report from the victim’s account and was unable to fully investigate the complaint.

Detectives obtained a subpoena for the victim’s bank account between December 2019 through October 2024 to analyze and organize all bank charges associated with the accounts.

The investigation uncovered multiple fraudulent withdrawals, along with purchases that were made by Shireman for her personal benefit. Those purchases included jewelry, clothing, among others, according to the sheriff's office.

Additionally, it was also discovered that the victim’s 401k and life insurance accounts, which had an estimated value of over $50,000, were closed.

Deputies interviewed the victim Thursday and said he was unaware those accounts had been closed and he confirmed that he did not give Shireman permission for her purchases through his bank account.

In a separate interview, Shireman denied using the victim’s account without permission and told deputies that the victim knew about everything she spent money on. After consulting with the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office, she was arrested and taken to the Crawford County Justice Center.

Fraud charges were pending but expected to be filed Friday, the sheriff’s office said, and the investigation remains ongoing.

A case against Shireman was recently dismissed in Crawford County Municipal Court after she was charged with telephone harassment in October. She was also removed from a July 23 City Council meeting and censured in December for repeated interruptions and outbursts, resulting in one committee member asking, "Do you feel like you're all there?" after she voluntarily removed herself from all city council committees.

As of Friday, Shireman is listed as an at-large councilperson on the City of Bucyrus' website and had no committees.

In September, Shireman wrote a letter to the editor to CrawfordCountyNOW.com to address disputes with fellow councilmembers and harassment accusations. Her letter did not mention fraud charges.