AURORA | The Adams County District Attorney’s Office won’t pursue embezzlement charges against County Treasurer Diane Christner for use of county office equipment to copy campaign flyers, officials announced last week.
According to a letter from Adams County District Attorney Don Quick, there is “insufficient evidence” to charge Christner with embezzlement following her use of a copy machine in the Adams County treasurer’s office in Brighton to print campaign literature in September.
The decision follows an investigation that spanned about two weeks. Earlier this month, the district attorney’s office announced it would investigate Christner’s use of an office copy machine to print about $600 worth of campaign flyers for her re-election campaign. The investigation followed the filing of a formal complaint filed by Brigitte Grimm, the Republican candidate in the Adams County treasurer race.
According to the DA’s investigation, Grimm was tipped off about the use of office copiers by an unnamed employee in the treasurer’s office. After finding four leftover flyers in the tray of the copier, the employee took a photo, sent it to Grimm and then destroyed three of the four sheets.
Christner said she made the copies after the close of business hours Sept. 21 in the Brighton office. The double-sided, colored fliers state the election material was “Paid For By the Committee to Elect Diane Christner.”
Christner maintained she replaced paper and paid the county $600 in printing costs for the copies. Christner added that she later consulted with Adams County Attorney Hal Warren, who was unavailable for comment.
In conducting the investigation, the DA’s office said two Brighton police officers interviewed the unnamed employee, Grimm, Christner, Adams County attorney Hal Warren, Grimm’s husband and campaign manager Sean Forest and a county finance employee.
According to Quick’s letter, the investigation did not prove that Christner had “knowingly committed public property to be her own,” a main criteria in proving embezzlement.
“By no means does my decision indicate that I approve of using the office copier for campaign purposes,” Quick said in the letter. “In addition, it is not my role to comment on the wisdom of Ms. Christner’s decision.”
Original Post