|
|
|
The case involving the alleged theft of money from the Waynesville R-VI School District by an employee will be turned over to the Missouri attorney general’s office for possible prosecution, at the request of the Pulaski County prosecuting attorney.
Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillman made the announcement in a statement released on Feb. 16. The theft was reported to law enforcement authorities in January by the district.
Hillman said his staff, along with the Waynesville School District and the Waynesville Police Department, has conducted an extensive investigation into the alleged theft. District officials have been fully cooperative with all requests during this investigation.
Hillman said he appreciated the assistance provided by the district. They will be turning over all of the results of the investigation to the attorney general’s office for a determination on charges. “I want to assure the public that the suspect has been identified, is not a threat to the community, and is currently not in a position to continue any potential criminal activity in regards to the school district,” Hillman said.
"There are several reasons for my request for a special prosecutor in this case. First, I personally know and have worked with this suspect in the past. In addition, my office, and other county officials, work with school district officials on many projects. Many of these school district officials will be witnesses in this case," Hillman said. "As a result of these relationships, I was concerned that there would be a perception of bias in the way my office handled this case. I want the public to be confident that the decisions in this case are based on the law and facts, and nothing else.
For those reasons, the attorney general’s office agreed to take this case as the special prosecutor after I requested the appointment and the presiding judge ordered it.
Hillman said he has full confidence that the attorney general’s office will handle the case professionally and his office will fully cooperate with anything they may need to prosecute this case.
The case involving the alleged theft of money from the Waynesville R-VI School District by an employee will be turned over to the Missouri attorney general’s office for possible prosecution, at the request of the Pulaski County prosecuting attorney.
Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillman made the announcement in a statement released on Feb. 16. The theft was reported to law enforcement authorities in January by the district.
Hillman said his staff, along with the Waynesville School District and the Waynesville Police Department, has conducted an extensive investigation into the alleged theft. District officials have been fully cooperative with all requests during this investigation.
Hillman said he appreciated the assistance provided by the district. They will be turning over all of the results of the investigation to the attorney general’s office for a determination on charges. “I want to assure the public that the suspect has been identified, is not a threat to the community, and is currently not in a position to continue any potential criminal activity in regards to the school district,” Hillman said.
"There are several reasons for my request for a special prosecutor in this case. First, I personally know and have worked with this suspect in the past. In addition, my office, and other county officials, work with school district officials on many projects. Many of these school district officials will be witnesses in this case," Hillman said. "As a result of these relationships, I was concerned that there would be a perception of bias in the way my office handled this case. I want the public to be confident that the decisions in this case are based on the law and facts, and nothing else.
For those reasons, the attorney general’s office agreed to take this case as the special prosecutor after I requested the appointment and the presiding judge ordered it.
Hillman said he has full confidence that the attorney general’s office will handle the case professionally and his office will fully cooperate with anything they may need to prosecute this case.
