Woman’s plea averts second jury trial
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In a brief court appearance Friday morning, a local woman whose husband is the officer in charge of the Washington police department pleaded no contest to stealing nearly $50,000 from her former employer.
A distraught Debra A. Wilson, 53, of Franklin Terrace, North Franklin Township, wiped tears from her eyes as Judge Katherine B. Emery placed her on probation for five years on a felony charge of theft and ordered her to repay both Advanced Orthopedics Associates and insurance companies with which it had policies a total of $49,364.
Her first restitution payment of $3,500 to the medical practice in North Franklin Township was made Friday. Additionally, she was ordered to reimburse $3,000 to the state police crime laboratory in Harrisburg, the sole facility in the state system that does forensic handwriting analysis. Identifying who initialed adding machine tapes at the medical office became an issue in the case.
“I know this has been a difficult decision,” Emery said. “You’re crying.”
Wilson could have faced a maximum penalty of 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison because of the amount of money involved.
She was employed by the medical practice from December 2007 to January 2009.
“This woman’s been through an awful lot over the past three years,” said Wilson’s attorney, David DiCarlo. Her son died, she suffered a stroke within the last six months, and her parents, who also have health concerns, depend on her, he told the judge.
She first stood trial two years ago in the courtroom of then-judge Paul Pozonsky. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, but the commonwealth claimed Wilson had fabricated evidence used to defend herself and charged her with perjury, tampering with or fabricating evidence and forgery.
Her plea on the theft charge “will resolve all issues,” Assistant District Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta told the judge.
Jurors were chosen April 1 for Wilson’s second trial, which had been set for April 23, but they will be notified not to appear.
In early February, Washington City Council unanimously designated Robert Wilson, the defendant’s husband, as officer in charge of the police force, pending the appointment of a new chief to replace Robert Lemons.
Robert Wilson, present in uniform Friday morning, did not address the court.