LOUISVILLE — Jeffersonville Clerk-Treasurer Peggy Wilder pleaded guilty Thursday to failure to transfer a title, a class A misdemeanor, while maintaining her innocence in Jefferson County, Ky., District Court.
Judge Sean Delahanty accepted the guilty plea and set a hearing for March 25, at which time Wilder is expected to be admitted into a diversion program as long as a nationwide background check reveals no prior convictions. She will then have to serve 20 to 120 hours of community service, according to Assistant County Prosecutor J.P. Ward.
Ward said someone with the diversion program will interview Wilder and decide how many hours of community service she must serve and could also order counseling.
If she successfully completes the diversion program, the charge will be expunged from her record.
Wilder had been charged with felony theft by deception after Kentucky car dealer Ronnie Anderson said Wilder traded in a vehicle for which she did not have a title.
“She did nothing wrong, and the case is going to be dismissed,” her attorney, Scott Roby, said. “This is the kind of case that happens all the time. A lot of people get titles mixed up when they go to (trade in) their car.”
Roby said the case was “blown way out of proportion ... because of who she is” and that she was improperly charged with a felony.
Roby said people should not look at the case as Wilder pleading guilty because the charges will be dropped if she completes the diversion program. Ward disagreed.
“She pled guilty to a crime,” he said. “Mrs. Wilder was given the same deal that any first time offender is given.”
After receiving a $2,000 credit trading in a Volvo, Wilder paid Anderson an additional $5,434 for a 1999 Mercedes station wagon she drove off the lot, promising to bring the Volvo’s title the next day, according to a court summons.
Wilder never returned, and Anderson said he was unable to reach her. The vehicle was found to have been registered to Sam Swope and did not belong to Wilder, the summons says.
Anderson said he could not sell the vehicle because he could not have it registered in his name.
Anderson agreed to the plea deal in court, but when asked after the hearing if he thought the resolution was fair, he said, “No, I can’t say that I’m happy with it. I was hoping for more.”
Wilder pleaded guilty under the U.S. Supreme Court case North Carolina v. Alford, which allows someone to assert her innocence while acknowledging there is enough evidence to prove guilt, Ward said.
Under a class A misdemeanor in Kentucky, the highest possible sentence is one year in jail and a $500 fine.
Anderson said that a third party paid him restitution for the amount he was owed for Wilder’s trade-in, but he declined to say who wrote the check.
Charges are also expected to be filed soon against Wilder in Clark County, where she is being investigated for alleged credit card abuses. Her attorney in that case, Bradley Jacobs, said he has been in negotiations with special prosecutor Chris Owens. He said the parties have reached a tentative agreement that would include misdemeanor charges and no jail time.
An Indiana State Board of Accounts audit from 2007 showed Wilder had been using city credit cards for personal use. Wilder has said that no claims were written for her personal purchases — meaning city council approval wasn’t needed — and no city money was missing, something the audit confirmed
Clark County
Deal reached in Wilder’s Kentucky theft case
Jeffersonville clerk-treasurer to enter community-service program
-
-
Vietnam veteran receives medals 46 years after active duty ends
-
Pence talks bridges, jobs during Southern Indiana swing
“I think everyone senses with the recent bridges agreement, the potential for extraordinary growth,” said Mike Pence, a U.S. House member who is seeking to replace Gov. Mitch Daniels and retain the gubernatorial seat for the Republican Party.
Continued ... -
Delaware woman dies in I-65 crash
-
Clark County approves self-insurance plan
Clark County Insurance Agent-of-Record Diane Swank presented health insurance renewal options at the council meeting Monday, but the county’s fiscal body decided to recess its meeting in order to review a proposal to move the county to a self-insured plan.
Continued ... -
Jeff to start enforcing insurance ordinances
A 2004 ordinance that dictates how much city retirees pay for health insurance – ignored for years by Jeffersonville officials – looks like it will now be enforced.
Continued ... - ISP arrests five at Clark County roadblock
- May 23, 2012
-
Appeals court hears Covered Bridge case
The Indiana Court of Appeals heard the respective oral arguments on the town of Sellersburg’s effort to annex the Covered Bridge Subdivision and the Willows on Wednesday. Covered Bridge appealed the trial court’s ruling that the town’s annexation preceded the subdivision’s effort to incorporate into an independent town and that, in exchange for sewer service, the residents would agree to not remonstrate against the annexation attempt.
Continued ... -
Redistricting on tap again for Jeffersonville
Though they just did so last year, it’s already time for the Jeffersonville City Council to start thinking about redistricting again.
Continued ... -
JEFF Fest set for June 9
The Jeffersonville Entire Family Fun Festival, better known as JEFF Fest, will
Continued ...
be held from 11 a.m.. to 4 p.m. June 9 in Jeffersonville’s Preservation Park, 150 W. Market St. -
Charlestown encourages Realtors and developers to help it grow
he city hosted a showcase for about 200 developers and Realtors at Charlestown High School on Tuesday. The purpose of the showcase was to pitch the city as a place that is expected to prosper, especially in light of the continued development at River Ridge Commerce Center.
Continued ...
-
