By Patricia Breakey
WALTON _ A 38-year-old Walton woman was arraigned on 22 felony counts of criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance Monday in Delaware County Court.
Jill L. Butler of 16 Townsend St. was indicted by a grand jury Oct. 29.
Butler's attorney, Frederick Neroni, entered pleas of innocent to each of the 22 class C felonies.
According to court records, the prescriptions were all made out to different people in the village of Walton between Dec. 14, 2006, and May 28.
Delaware County District Attorney Richard Northrup recused himself because he knows Butler's family members. James Hartmann was named special prosecutor to handle the case.
Delaware County Judge Carl Becker scheduled Butler's trial for the April 26 trial term. She was released on her own recognizance.
At the time of Butler's arrest in June, Walton Police Chief David Halaquist said that he could not discuss the details of the case because the investigation was continuing.
In another case, the terms of a plea agreement were postponed for a Roxbury woman facing several charges related to alleged thefts from two Delaware County businesses and a county department.
Marie K. Bower, 24, was arraigned Sept. 16 on five charges including two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and one count each of third-degree grand larceny, falsifying business records and second-degree forgery.
The charges stem from alleged incidents at the Delaware County Department of Social Services, Ski Plattekill and Prior & Prior, an Arkville attorney's office.
Prior and Prior, Bower's primary employer, discovered the embezzlement of more than $8,000 from the business since late 2007, Delaware County deputies said.
Deputies said they also investigated a forged document filed with Delaware Opportunities and revealed that Bower stole more than $1,000 in benefits from the county Department of Social Services to which she was not entitled.
An investigation of the theft of more than $1,000 cash from another of her employers, Ski Plattekill, in late March implicated Bower, deputies said.
Becker refused to agree to the terms of the plea agreement because of the minimum amount of jail time involved.
Becker told Bower's attorney, Gregory Kottmeier, that if the plea agreement is not resolved by Dec. 14, Bower's case will go to trial Jan. 16.
In other court business:
ä Cassandra Beers, 44, of Davenport, pleaded guilty to one count of driving while intoxicated in a plea agreement in which she will be sentenced to probation and participate in drug court. Beers was released on her own recognizance to appear Dec. 14 for sentencing.
ä Michael S. Hartley, 41, of Andes, was sentenced to 1-to-3 years in prison and fined $2,500 on a driving while intoxicated charge.
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
