EUREKA, Ill. — A judge in central Illinois has handed down an eight-year prison sentence for a former employee who's accused of stealing more than $1 million from the Roanoke-Benson school district

The (Peoria) Journal Star reports that 74-year-old Katherine Capponi was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to a felony charge of theft of government property. Her plea came during what was supposed to be a final preliminary hearing before her trial in Woodford County.

School Superintendent Rohn Peterson says Capponi worked for the district for 42 years and residents feel "a sense of betrayal."