Not sure why rdonez removed their posts, but it'd be an incredible coincidence if it wasn't related to this news.
A reporter also contacted me about, asking for information.
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http://poststar.com/news/local/warren-county-official-arrested-on-multiple-charges/article_893e6138-bf8e-11e0-b799-001cc4c002e0.htmlWarren County official arrested on multiple charges
Story Discussion Warren County official arrested on multiple charges
JON ALEXANDER -- jalexander@poststar.com The Post-Star | Posted: Friday, August 5, 2011 2:12 pm | (93) Comments
QUEENSBURY -- Warren County's commissioner of Social Services was charged with felonies and misdemeanors on Friday after police accused her of attempting to defraud her own department.
Sheila M. Weaver's arrest is the most high-profile yet in Warren County's recent crackdown on Social Services fraud.
Investigators from the Warren County Sheriff's Office arrested Weaver, of Route 9, Warrensburg, on Friday afternoon after a six-week investigation when she turned herself in at the Sheriff's Office.
According to police,
Weaver altered housing assistance applications for her live-in boyfriend, Michael Hester, and other housing assistance applications for two acquaintances, who now live in Glens Falls but who had lived with her in Warrensburg, Belinda M. Redfeather, 51, and Kenneth J. Redbird, 43.
"No matter what position you hold, if you do something criminal, we will charge you," Warren County Sheriff Bud York said at a press conference following the arrest.
Weaver, 47, was charged with two counts of second-degree forgery, a felony; two counts of second-degree offering a false instrument, a misdemeanor; and one count of misdemeanor official misconduct.According to the charges,
Weaver changed on the application the amount Hester pays for housing at their shared home from $637 to $0 monthly.The charges also state Weaver altered housing assistance applications for Redfeather and Redbird in June.
Redfeather was charged with first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a felony; petit larceny, a misdemeanor; and fifth-degree welfare fraud, a misdemeanor.
Redbird was charged with first-degree offering a false instrument, a felony.
Both are scheduled to appear in Queensbury Town Court on Aug. 22.
York said Weaver's association with Redbird and Redfeather is unknown.
Weaver was largely silent throughout Friday's arraignment in Queensbury Town Court.
She asked for an application for a public defender when Judge Michael Muller asked if she needed legal representation.
Following the arraignment, Weaver would not comment to a Post-Star report about the charges against her.
But, earlier in the week, she told a Post-Star reporter she was unaware of any investigation regarding her conduct as the leader of Social Services.
"There have been rumors swirling about me for three years," Weaver said on Tuesday. "It's ridiculous."
At Friday's press conference, county Administrator/Attorney Paul Dusek said that, as a high-ranking appointed employee, Weaver has the right to a hearing before county supervisors before any decision is made about her employment status.
"Assuming the charges were proven, I would think they are serious enough to warrant dismissal," Dusek said.
He noted that Weaver has yet to be proven guilty of any crime.
She has been placed on paid administrative leave, Dusek said.
Dusek said he expects the disciplinary hearings to begin next week.
Officials said the investigation of Weaver began after complaints were received from the public.
Weaver was hired by the county Board of Supervisors for the job in June 2008.
She moonlights at a new age, Native American-themed retreat and ritualistic center in Queensbury called the Spirit Bear Lodge, which, according to a 2009 press release, Hester founded in 1980.According to the center's website,
Weaver goes by the name Little Thunder Bear and Drangonfly Singer in ritualistic settings. Hester goes by the spiritual alias Michael Redsky and Magali Gigaei Golvloi.It remains unclear if Hester will be charged for his involvement.York said the investigation surrounding the fraud at the Department of Social Services is ongoing.
"You got the wrong guy," Hester said when asked for comment following Weaver's arraignment in Queensbury Town Court.
Investigators from the Warren County District Attorney's Office assisted with the investigation of Weaver.
Weaver was released on her own recognizance following her arraignment.
She is scheduled to return to Queensbury Town Court at 9 a.m. on Aug. 29.
The two felony counts could each carry more than a year in prison.
Only in The Post-Star's print edition Saturday:
Read more about the activities of Michael Hester, who describes himself as a Cherokee healer and has been living with the commissioner of the Warren County Department of Social Services, Sheila Weaver, who was charged with fraud on Friday.
Read more:
http://poststar.com/news/local/warren-county-official-arrested-on-multiple-charges/article_893e6138-bf8e-11e0-b799-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1VrFUyRh2
