Former Viola Mayor Michael Lester will be sentenced next year in a felony theft and official misconduct case. He entered a guilty plea to one theft count and 14 official misconduct counts Tuesday morning in Mercer County Circuit Court. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 21.
Lester was charged in August of 2023 with one felony count of theft between $500 and $10,000 and 37 felony counts of official misconduct. 23 of the official misconduct counts will be dismissed at sentencing. The allegations involve a time period between October of 2022 and July of 2023. Lester stepped down as mayor in the fall of 2023.