The former director of a local social service agency agreed to repay $75,000 she received over a 10-year period and will face no further criminal proceedings.
Denise Birt, former executive director of the Tri County Community Action Commission, signs documents with her lawyer David Thomas during a plea hearing Monday in Logan County Common Pleas Court. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)
Denise L. Birt, 61, of West Union, entered a plea Monday in Logan County Common Pleas Court that allowed her to repay the money without a felony conviction.
Mrs. Birt led the Tri County Community Action Commission for many years up to its financial collapse in spring 2014.
The case is a complicated one in which experts — including one investigator who would otherwise have been a witness for the prosecution — disagree on whether Mrs. Birt’s actions were criminal, according to Logan County Prosecutor Eric Stewart and Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Huston.
“There are competing theories about whether she had criminal intent,” Mr. Stewart said of the decision to accept a plea deal that allows Mrs. Birt to avoid a criminal conviction. “We have some experts who would say this is civil and others who say it is criminal. Regardless, she received a benefit she shouldn’t have and our interest is making sure she pays back that improper benefit.”
Read complete story in Tuesday’s Examiner.
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