The former director of Pets on Wheels was sentenced this week to six months in the Baltimore County detention center for stealing thousands of dollars from the non-profit organization.
Victoria Rummel, 51, pleaded guilty in April to one county of felony theft. On Monday, Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Jan Marshall Alexander handed down the jail sentence.
Pets on Wheels sends therapy pets to nursing homes, schools and other places throughout Maryland. Rummel and her now-estranged husband, David Rummel Jr., stole more than $20,000 from the organization for their personal use, prosecutors said.
Victoria Rummel's attorney, James E. Crawford Jr., did not respond to a request for comment on the sentencing.
Gina Kazimir, the current director of Pets on Wheels, said the organization is "glad to be able to move forward from this situation."
"It's nice to see justice rendered, and we are looking forward to moving on and growing, and serving our facilities and our volunteers," Kazimir said.
Adam Lippe, the assistant state's attorney who prosecuted the case, said the theft had a significant impact on Pets on Wheels, but "I'm happy to hear that the organization is doing better."
David Rummel, 50, was sentenced to probation in May after pleading misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit theft. He paid full restitution to Pets on Wheels, Lippe said.
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