Sunday, January 11, 2009

Hunter Removed Client Files

A county official said that he is confident an audit of the public administrator’s office will be authorized.

The action apparently is being taken as a result of outgoing Administrator Rita Hunter having emptied the office of records and client files.

Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh said he talked to Prosecutor Dean Dankelson and Treasurer Richard Webster, but that they did not have all the information they needed to proceed with arranging the audit. They will meet again on the audit issue.

“I’m sure we’re going to have one,” he said. County officials were still missing information on some bank accounts of the administrator’s office that would be needed for an audit.

The new public administrator who took office Jan. 1, Angie Casavecchia, called for the audit. Hunter has returned the files, but Casavecchia has called for the audit to make sure that they are intact.

Hunter was defeated in last year’s elections. Complaints had arisen about her handling of cases, including the arrest of a California woman who had taken her elderly Carthage mother home with her after the mother had been made a ward of the public administrator without the family’s knowledge.

A Springfield attorney has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the administrator’s wards alleging that exorbitant fees have been charged to some of them and that others are missing money or property.

When the newly elected public administrator took office last week, she found that both the paper files and computer records of the wards had been taken from the office. There are about 300 people under guardianship.

The new administrator said that without the files, she had no information on the finances, living arrangements or medical status of those under her care.

About 30 boxes of paper files were later surrendered to county officials by Hunter.

Full Article and Source:
Commissioner confident in audit authorization

See also:
Attorney Fees Challenged

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All right, Hunter's covering up.

Here's hoping they are relentless in their pursuit and file charges for removal and possible destruction of documents.

Anonymous said...

Hunter should be investigated with a fine tooth comb, and charged accordingly!

Anonymous said...

This is beyond disgusting and an outrage.

Rita Hunter is a sorry excuse for a human being and I hope she finds herself in a cage.