MOUNT VERNON — In a short proceeding in Mount Vernon Municipal Court this afternoon, Knox County Sheriff David Barber pleaded no contest to the charge of dereliction of duty. The crime is a second-degree misdemeanor. The charge stemmed from an incident in 2004 when Barber wrote two checks from the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Trust Fund to be used for his re-election campaign.
Visiting judge Stuart Miller was assigned by the state prosecutor’s office to hear the case. Counsel for the defendant, Ron Koltak, entered the plea of no contest for Barber. On being queried by the judge, Barber apologized to the court and the citizens of Knox County for committing what he characterized as a stupid act.
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Miller found Barber guilty of the charge, fined him $500 plus costs and stipulated that Barber make any restitution necessary plus interest to the trust fund.
After the proceedings, Barber had no comment. Koltak said the matter should be considered over and that Barber just wanted to move on from here.
