Librarian gets $90,000 after fraud case dismissed

LAINGSBURG, Mich. (AP) - A mid-Michigan librarian is getting $90,000 as part of a settlement after allegations of fraud against her were dismissed.

The city of Laingsburg announced the settlement with 60-year-old Sandra Chavez of Owosso in a news release and apologized. The Lansing State Journal on Monday reported the settlement's financial terms, which it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Chavez had sued alleging violations of the state's whistleblower protection act after she was charged with false pretenses, malicious destruction of police property and larceny. She was accused of falsifying her time sheet, damaging a police camera set up to observe her attendance and stealing a camera memory card.

Charges were dismissed in July. The city's release says it was determined she didn't "defraud, cheat, or engage in time card fraud."

Published: Wed, May 08, 2019