Charges against former Powell cheer booster president to be dropped, according to attorney

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Theft charges against a former president of a Powell cheerleading business’ booster organization will be dropped and a scheduled Dec. 8 trial will not occur, her attorneys said Thursday.

On Wednesday, The Gazette reported that two women had been accused of misusing a company credit card for the Buckeye Cheer Elite company in Powell. Karen Lynn Miesse, 51, of 4242 Scenic View Drive, Powell, served as president of the business’ booster organization and Molly Suzanne Nelson, 44, of 4760 Seven Lakes, Powell, served as the booster treasurer at the time the thefts allegedly occurred.

One of Miesse’s attorney, Mark Collins, contacted The Gazette Thursday to report that Wednesday’s story was “100 percent incorrect” and said that the charges against Miesse were dropped and she would not stand trial.

However, court documents and officials from the Delaware County Clerk of Courts Office and Delaware County Common Pleas Judge David Gormley’s office indicated Thursday that the charges had not been dropped and Miesse is still scheduled for trial. Miesse has pleaded not guilty.

Miesse’s other attorney, Brandon Shroy, said Thursday that he and county assistant prosecutor Andrew Bigler had reached a agreement to drop the charges because there is no evidence to prove that Miesse had misused credit cards. Shroy said that Bigler had not yet filed the paperwork so the agreement was not official yet.

Bigler and Gormley could not be reached for comment Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office said that no plea agreement is official until a judge accepts it.

Prosecutors alleged that between Jan. 1, 2009, and July 17, 2014, Miesse and Nelson misused a credit card belonging to Buckeye Cheer Elite. Court documents allege that Nelson stole $20,865 and that Miesse also stole between $1,000 and $7,500 during the same period.

Shroy said that Miesse had cooperated fully in the investigation and was unaware that Nelson had been making private charges to the company credit card.

The Gazette reported Wednesday that Nelson had changed her plea to guilty after recently reaching an agreement with prosecutors, and was ordered by Gormley to undergo intervention and to pay $20,865 in restitution. The plea agreement also required Nelson to testify against Miesse.

Court documents indicated that Miesse was scheduled to stand trial for two counts of theft on Dec. 8. However, Collins said Gormley could allow the charges to be dropped without a hearing or he could require Miesse and prosecutors to come into court on Dec. 8 to formally drop the charges.

Buckeye Cheer Elite is located at 10630 Sawmill Road, Powell.

Miesse
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/12/web1_Karen-Meisse1.jpgMiesse
Theft charges to be dropped in Buckeye Elite case

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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