The wife of the former treasurer of the Ironton National Little League accepted her punishment for stealing more than $22,000 from the organization.

Sondra K. Gayhart, 49, of 2427 S. Seventh St., was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

Gayhart had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of fifth-degree theft and one count of fifth-degree forgery on Aug. 3. As a part of a plea negotiation, 40 other counts were dropped.

Judge Charles Cooper also ordered Gayhart to pay $1,000 in restitution to the Little League.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson said the $1,000 was the cost of an insurance deductible the organization paid to have its loss of $22,689.51 covered.

An investigation that began last November led to the charges against Gayhart, who wrote and cashed checks from the Little League account between January 2010 and December 2011.

Amounts cashed from the checks ranged from as little as a few hundred dollars to $2,500.