A former township fiscal officer who used public money to buy a wildebeest and two snow owls for his roadside zoo is in trouble with state auditors again.
In 2023, a state audit found that former Vinton Township official Cyril Vierstra, who legally changed his name to Cy, misused $340,000 to buy items for his residence and roadside zoo.
He pleaded guilty to multiple felonies, was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison and ordered to pay back $339,718.
On July 10, Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s office issued more findings for recovery, saying Vierstra’s failure to pay state and federal taxes and retirement contributions for township employees led to $1,586 in late fees and interest.
“These charges would have been avoided had the funds been remitted by the required due dates,” auditors noted.
Last year, the township’s insurance carrier paid out $120,000 to cover some of Vierstra’s theft.
Vierstra used public money to buy items unrelated to township functions, including kayaks, hot tubs, a popcorn cart, a drum set, a snow cone machine and a CPR manikin. He spent $4,116.30 on the wildebeest and $4,963.77 on the snow owls, state auditor records show.
Vierstra operated the Union Ridge Wildlife Center, a private zoo and AirBnB rental in Wilkesville in Vinton County. The property included chimps, monkeys, tigers, lemurs and other exotic animals.
The investigation began when Vinton County Auditor Cindy Owings Waugh tipped off the state auditor that Vierstra was misusing township debit and credit cards. After authorities searched Vierstra’s property in July 2020, he resigned his post as township fiscal officer.
Vierstra is incarcerated at Belmont Correctional Institution and is due to be released in August 2027.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@gannett.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio man who bought wildebeest with public funds didn’t pay township taxes, auditors say
Reporting by Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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