A former worker in the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office has been charged with embezzlement, after investigators said he let defendants pay off their community service hours and then kept the money.

The Daily Herald newspaper of Everett reports ( http://is.gd/7emkKf) that Frederick Bletson Jr. faces 42 counts of misappropriation of accounts by a public officer. The King County Prosecutor's Office is handling the case to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

Bletson worked as a counselor handling cases of first-time offenders enrolled in a diversion program, by which they could have criminal charges dismissed if they completed community service or other requirements. Instead, investigators say he told them they could "buy out" their community service requirement by paying $10 per hour.

Prosecutors say he kept the money - about $14,000 of it.

The 60-year-old is expected to be arraigned on the charges early next month. He resigned in 2010.

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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com