Polk County’s elected public administrator has served in the office since 2003. On Tuesday, she pleaded guilty to theft from a municipal building – one of several thefts from a Bolivar Walmart that police accused her of – and was sentenced to a year of probation.
Public Administrator Barbara Davolt was originally charged with three separate municipal violations for shoplifting at the Bolivar store in July and August of last year. According to previous reporting by the News-Leader, Bolivar police responded to a call from the store regarding a woman accused of “failing to scan” household items valued at $25.74 on Aug. 25, 2023. According to court documents, while reviewing archived video from the self-checkout area, investigators determined that Davolt had committed the same offense twice before.
Skip scanning is a form of shoplifting in which someone intentionally fails to scan an item at the self-checkout line before putting it in their bag.
Davolt made a post on Facebook in February, which has since been removed from public view, in which she proclaimed her innocence. On Tuesday morning, she pleaded guilty to one of the charges in Polk County District Court. Because of Davolt’s close ties to local government in Polk County, Cedar County-based Assistant District Judge Jacob Dawson presided over the case and Matt Rice, director of security at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, was special prosecutor.
The two remaining charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement. In addition to her one-year probation, Davolt was ordered to pay $95.60 in restitution to Walmart and $38.50 in court costs, according to court records. Online court records show the judge denied a request from Davolt through her attorney to increase the confidentiality level of the case, which would have made the records inaccessible to the public.
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Davolt has continued to serve as the county’s public administrator since the September indictment. She ran for re-election in the August primary but lost by more than 900 votes to fellow Republican Scott Pursselley, a deputy county coroner and former public works employee. The public administrator serves as a court-appointed representative in estate matters and as a guardian or conservator for people who are unable to care for themselves.
Marta Mieze covers local politics for the News-Leader. Do you have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].
