Amanda J. Devine, 33, stole nearly $33,000 from the Kidder Township Fire Company's relief fund while she was the treasurer. She took the money because her family was having financial problems.

The money was taken from the relief fund between 2011 and 2015. She wrote checks to herself and cashed them to pay for personal expenses.She was sentenced by Judge Joseph J. Matika to serve three to 12 months in jail followed by three years of probation. She will have to complete 100 hours of community service while under probation and must pay $1,000 in court fees along with $50 a month supervision fee while on parole probation. Devine must also pay back the $32,821 to the security company that paid the money back to the fire company.John Devine, her husband, said the incident "destroyed our lives. Our main concern is our children."Devine told Matika, "I want to make amends to the fire company, taxpayers and my children."Pottsville residents Joan Marie Lechleitner, 51; Kerry T. Titus, 54; Samantha M. Schaeffer, 25; and Tyler Michael Schappell, 21, faced felony charges in connection with alleged thefts. Police say the group stole $175,082.11 from Cressona Agway over the past five years.The money was used to purchase lottery tickets immediately after it was stolen from the store at another register in the store. Other incidents, they are seen leaving and coming back with lottery tickets.The thefts put the business in danger of going under, causing the owner to have to take out personal loans to keep the business running.During the thefts, Lechleitner and Titus, who are engaged, won $261,904.50 with a lottery tickets that they purchased at the Cressona Agway.The owner discovered the thefts after he started documenting all the store's internal register tapes. Combined with the surveillance footage, the police were able to put the pieces together.- Amanda J. Treible