Trial date set for Mitchener
A trial date had been set for a woman accused of stealing more than $50,000 from Old National Trail, an organization that provides services to special needs students in all of Putnam County's school districts.
Tammy Y. Mitchener, 32, of Roachdale was in Putnam County Circuit Court Thursday for a pretrial conference. Mitchener's counsel, Robert Perry, requested at least 90 days to prepare for a trial. Judge Matthew Headley granted that request, setting a jury trial date of April 22.
Headley also set a final pretrial conference in the case for April 2, and ordered that any plea agreements must be filed by March 26.
Mitchener was employed as ONT's treasurer when the thefts are alleged to have occurred. She is facing charges of Class C felony corrupt business influence (also known as racketeering) and Class D felony theft. If convicted on both charges, Mitchener could face up to 11 years in prison.
Mitchener is accused of funneling funds from ONT to herself through a dummy corporation she allegedly set up. It is alleged that she would issue ONT checks to the dummy corporation for services supposedly rendered.
Mitchener would then take the issued checks and deposit them into an account she created at North Salem State Bank and would later move them into her personal checking account using online banking services, court documents said. Mitchener is alleged to have written 24 checks to herself.
An investigation by the Indiana State Police culminated in her arrest on Dec. 2.
Mitchener's thefts are alleged to have occurred between July 1, 2007, when she took the job at ONT, and Nov. 30, 2008. The amount of the thefts is listed in court documents as $50,839.16.
Mitchener remains free on 10 percent of a $10,000 bond, which a family member posted for her the day of her arrest.