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Indicted Penn Township Trustee Jeff Dean kept township property, including a personal computer and lawnmower, at his personal residence and overpaid his former administrative assistant by more than $3,200, according to a report issued Wednesday by the State Board of Accounts.
The report, which documents the period beginning Jan. 1 and ending Dec. 31, 2010, includes more than $17,000 in "questioned" and prohibited costs related to a cleaning contract, per diems, the township credit card, missing financial documentation, and personal property use.
The SBOA requests in the report that Dean return a total of $700 to the township, and that he and/or Sarah Sharp, the administrative assistant, return a total of $3,228.06.
It also requests that Dean reimburse the state $3,042.19 for additional "examination costs" incurred because of "poor records, nonexistent records or other inadequate bookkeeping practices" within the trustee's office.
Responding to the report Thursday, Dean, a Democrat, basically called it old news.
"Let me make this very clear." he said. "Every issue that has come up -- and again, this was two years ago -- but every issue that has come up has been corrected before the audit even occurred, so all the issues have been addressed and taken care of."
"These are two-year-old issues," he repeated, "and it has been corrected."
Dean said he plans to reimburse the township, as requested in the report, but that he does not think that he should have to reimburse the state.
"The charge to me, $3,000 for excess time, I don't agree with that," he said, "because they (the SBOA) asked that those records be at their disposal in a minute. So I don't agree with that."
A grand jury indicted Dean and Sharp, who no longer works in the trustee's office, on one count each of theft, official misconduct, and conflict of interest, all Class D felonies, in May of last year based on information contained in two previous SBOA reports.
It indicted Sharp on one additional count of ghost employment, also a Class D felony.
According to those reports, Dean, who won re-election to a second, four-year term as Penn Township trustee in November 2010, failed to keep work records related to a contract that paid Sharp $15 an hour to clean the trustee's office.
Sharp earned an additional $37,000 combined in 2008 and 2009 on top of her normal salary, which increased from $36,000 to $39,000 during that time, because of that contract, the reports stated.
CALL TO RESIGN
According to the report issued Wednesday, Dean:
Failed, again, to keep work records related to the cleaning contract, which paid Sharp a total of $12,322.50 in 2010. Sharp stopped cleaning the office that June.
- Overpaid Sharp for part-time work by $1,123.95.
- Paid Sharp an undeserved stipend totaling $2,104.11.
- Failed to provide documentation related to $1,600 in per diems and authorized advanced per diems in violation of accounting and uniform compliance guidelines.
- Kept a computer, purchased by the township in March 2010 at a cost of $1,145.97, and a lawnmower, purchased in June of that same year at a cost of $289.81, at his personal residence.
He also declined to comment on the report as it relates to Sharp, stating: "You have to understand that, because that's in litigation right now, I can't (comment). I'm not trying to hide anything, I just can't answer those questions. I really wish I could."
Sharp did not return multiple calls Thursday seeking comment.
For his part, Penn Township Board President Charlie Gray, a Republican, reacted with disappointment to the report Thursday, adding: "The two biggest things, to my mind anyway, are the misuse of the computer and the misuse of the lawnmower."
Board Secretary Kent Hizer, also a Republican, agreed.
"What's unique about this report, what really kind of struck me," Hizer said, "is that some items purchased by the township, some computer equipment and a lawnmower ... it turns out (Dean) had been using them at his home the past year and a half."
As president of the board in 2011, Hizer said he sat in on a conversation between Dean and the state auditor in which Dean denied any knowledge of the lawnmower. The state was not aware of the computer at the time because the township had no invoice for it.
"He (Dean) looked me straight in the eye ... and said, "I don't know about any lawnmower,'" Hizer said, adding: "I'm very disappointed. I feel he was dishonest with me at that meeting."
Given the pending criminal case, and in light of the latest report, Hizer said he believes Dean should resign.
"Now we have three consecutive audit reports by the State Board of Accounts that show, at the very minimum, incompetence, with the possibility ... of criminal intent," he said, "and in my opinion, the honorable thing would be to resign."
Dean ignored calls to resign last year. He could not be reached for additional comment later in the day Thursday.
The current members of the township board, including Gray, Hizer, and Dave Schmidt, also a Republican, took office Jan. 1, 2011.
According to Lora Bentley, spokeswoman for county prosecutor Mike Dvorak, the prosecutor's office is aware of the latest SBOA report but unable to comment on it because of the pending litigation.
Separate trial dates of June 25 and Sept. 17 have been set for Dean and Sharp, respectively. The trials will take place in St. Joseph Circuit Court.
Staff writer Erin Blasko:
eblasko@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6187