Perdue had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of embezzling public funds. Police say she stole both payroll and grant money from the town. Before she was sentenced, Perdue apologized.

"All I ask is a second chance to make amends and to prove myself as a productive adult. I'm not a bad or mean person and I just made a serious and bad mistake and judgement," Perdue told the judge.

But her former bosses wanted prison time for Perdue.

"As a representative to the citizens of Mt. Pleasant, I'm asking that she has to repay some debt to society for that breach," Mt. Pleasant Police Captain Stan Gragg told the judge.

"She was taking this money and even her family didn't even know about this. She was the lone ranger in this," Mt. Pleasant Police Chief Harry Sewell said.

Perdue had some supporters in the courtroom. They included her ex-husband, who took the equity from the sale of their house to pay back the town.

In addition to the one year of house arrest, the judge put Perdue on five years probation. She could have gotten up to ten years in prison.

Copyright 2008 WCSC, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.