TRAVERSE CITY â The former treasurer of the Northwestern Michigan Fair was arraigned on an embezzlement charge recently in Grand Traverse Countyâs 86th District Court.
Jillian Marie Noel, formerly of Buckley, was charged on May 20 with one count of embezzlement by an agent or trustee of $50,000 or more but less than $100,000 for her connection with incidents dating back to November 2016 to July 2019.
The charge is merely an accusation and not evidence of guilt. Noel is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The prosecution has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Cadillac Michigan State Police Post was contacted in February 2020 by the president of the Northwestern Michigan Fair Association to investigate an embezzlement complaint, according to a release from the Cadillac Post. Police said an accountant for the fair association questioned some charges discovered on a July 2019 bank statement, which led the fair association board to ask Noel to explain the charges.