BELFAST (AP) — The former treasurer in Troy has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $20,000 from the town.

Kathy Mattingly pleaded guilty this week in Waldo County Superior Court to a charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

The 56-year-old Mattingly was town treasurer from January 2012 until March.

Investigators said when residents paid a bill in cash, she kept some of the money. She also wrote checks to herself from the town to support a gambling problem.

Her crime carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Mattingly’s attorney, Nathan Bell, said he and prosecutors still are negotiating a sentence.

Bell told the Morning Sentinel (http://bit.ly/19iU9Ia ) that Mattingly has serious medical problems and it would be most appropriate for her to be placed under house arrest.