CLEARFIELD – On Wednesday a former Clearfield County employee had a hearing on a number of allegations that allegedly occurred while she was employed.
Lisa Dohner of Clearfield, former director of Clearfield County Children, Youth and Family Services, faces five counts of theft by unlawful taking; criminal attempt; five counts of theft by deception; 18 counts of criminal attempt; 18 counts of tampering with public records or information; criminal attempt; five counts of conflict of interest and forgery
The commonwealth, presented by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, put roughly 17 witnesses on the stand over the course of the nearly four-hour long preliminary hearing. Witnesses ranged from county employees to healthcare professionals to current and former elected officials.
Two groups of items were mainly focused on in the hearing; mileage reimbursement forms and an office fund for charitable organizations.
Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken explained under oath the mileage reimbursement policy and procedures of Clearfield County. He explained that the commissioners have the final say on reimbursement. McCracken said the commissioners denied a mileage reimbursement request from Dohner for February 2006, a trip to Pittsburgh.
McCracken explained that the trip was listed as Feb. 15, 2006 for CYFS. McCracken said that reimbursement for the trip was disallowed, initialed by him.
Under cross-examination McCracken testified that he spoke with Dohner, who gave him an explanation.
Later, Cynthia Stewart, former solicitor for CYFS, testified that on Feb. 15 she was attending an argument before the Superior Court in Pittsburgh. She said she spoke with Dohner about the hearing. She said that Dohner considered going to the hearing with her, but that Dohner did not. She said that Dohner was not at the hearing.
Clearfield County Deputy Controller Lisa Rauch testified as to a number of reimbursement forms submitted by Dohner. She pointed out a Dec. 17, 2004 trip to an Erie clinic that Dohner marked down. The amount reimbursed was $135. A January 2005 trip was entered, a trip to the same destination, this time Dohner was reimbursed $155.12. Dohner was reimbursed $55.78 for an Oct. 6, 2005 trip to Clarion for a PATSIS meeting. A Dec. 1, 2005 trip to Clarion was reimbursed to Dohner in the amount of $53.35. Dohner was reimbursed for a Jan. 19, 2006 trip to Harrisburg in the amount of $124.
Rauch also corroborated McCracken’s earlier testimony that the Feb. 15, 2006 trip to Pittsburgh was not reimbursed to Dohner.
Marlene Dexter of the Sarah Reed Children’s Center in Erie testified that she checked a number of records to find out if Dohner had visited the facility. She said there was no record of Dohner visiting the facility on Dec. 17, 2004 or Jan. 28, 2005. She testified that all visitors must log in before being allowed entry. She stated under cross-examination that a person can enter the lobby without signing in and that drop-offs can be made without signing the log book.
Elaine Phillips of Community County Services testified that there was no PATSIS meeting on Oct. 6, 2005, but that there was one on Oct. 7, 2005. She said there were also PATSIS meetings on Oct. 13, 14 and Oct. 31, 2005. She said that she contacted the person with the attendance sheet, and along with her own recollection, it was determined that Dohner attended the Oct. 13 and 14, 2005 meetings, but that there was no Oct. 6, 2005 meeting. She also testified that the first person to contact her about Dohner’s attendance was then-County Commissioner Rex Read.
Mary Lee Stoops of the Clarion Psychiatric Center testified that there was no record of Dohner at her facility on Dec. 1, 2005. She explained at the time, someone coming into the building needed to sign a sign-in sheet. Under cross-examination she said that she looked through the visitor’s log and that she asked key people if they were aware or knew of Dohner visiting the center. She said they did not know Dohner. She also testified that she could not say that Dohner was not there.
Chuck Songer Jr., executive director of the Children Youth Administrators Association testified that Dohner did not attend the Jan. 19, 2006 meeting of their organization. He said there was no record of her attending through meeting minutes, registration or daily sign-in sheets.
The second set of charges was then explored. Joyce Kitko, who testified earlier in the hearing, explained that she was approached by her daughter, Nikki Rohrback, who worked at CYFS, about donating money to the American Red Cross through CYFS. Kitko said her employer, King Coal Sales Inc, donated $100 through a check. She said the check was then given to Rohrback to give to whoever she needed to give to in the office.
A blown up copy of the check showed that it was dated Sept. 16, 2005. She said it was several months before she received a receipt or thank-you card. The receipt was dated Dec. 13, 2005.
Bonnie Baughman, a clerical worker for CYFS, explained what Jeans Day was in the CYFS office. She said that on Fridays employees could wear jeans if they donated a dollar. She said that money was then donated to different organizations. She said she collected the money and kept it in an envelope. She testified that at the end of each month she gave the envelope to Dohner.
She said under cross-examination that there were no records kept or receipts concerning the employee dollar donation. She said that she would write a person’s name on the envelope and when they donated a dollar, she put a tally mark next to that person’s name.
CYFS worker Tonya Weitoish testified that Jeans Day could include holidays, or the day before a holiday, as well as Fridays. She said that Dohner enforced the dollar donation. She also testified that she was familiar with Dohner’s handwriting due to the two working in same office. She was shown blown up versions of thank-you cards that were entered into evidence. She testified that ones from Central PA Community Action and Clearfield County SPCA had handwriting that was similar to Dohner’s. She testified that she did not recognize the handwriting cards from the Clearfield-Jefferson Chapter of the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society.
Rohrback testified as to the Jeans Day policy and her employment at CYFS. She said the employees had asked Dohner if they could do Jeans Day and that Dohner finally agreed. She also testified that Dohner enforced Jeans Day. Rohrback said the employees did not have a part in deciding where the donations went to, though they did decided on a Hurricane Katrina donation through the American Red Cross.
She said that she asked her mother if King Coal Sales would mach a donation. She said she received the check then turned it over to Dohner. Rohrback said her mother called around Dec. 2005 to see what happened to the check. Rohrback was informed by her mother that it had not been cashed.
She said that she and Weitoish discussed why the check had not been cashed. She said that under a false name they contacted the American Red Cross to see if they had received a donation from CYFS, King Coal or Dohner. She said they used a false name because they were afraid they would get into trouble. She said that the American Red Cross then called the office and spoke with someone. Rohrback said that shortly thereafter her mother received a receipt and thank-you card.
Rohrback, like Weitoish, was shown thank-you cards and asked if the handwriting on them matched Dohner’s. She testified that she recognized the handwriting on the SPCA and CPCA cards as Dohner’s.
“My testimony is that it’s actually her handwriting,” said Rohrback. She was then asked if she had any training in handwriting analysis. She answered no.
Dohner’s attorney objected to their opinions regarding the handwriting. Magisterial District Judge James Hawkins allowed it, citing that they had worked with her.
Commissioner Mark McCracken was then called back to the stand. He said that he was aware of questions regarding the jeans money and where it went. This was also about the same time the commissioners were questioning Dohner about the mileage issues. He said a couple of caseworkers came to the office because they were concerned the money was not going where it was supposed to go. He said Dohner was talked to on several occasions regarding the issue.
McCracken said that in late 2005 through March 2006 the topic was again raised. He said that she provided the commissioners with a list of where the money was distributed and copies of thank-you cards her office had received. McCracken said she provided copies, but not the real thing.
Barb Noone, executive assistant at the Clearfield-Jefferson American Red Cross, was shown a copy of a thank-you card her group had allegedly sent to CYFS. She first explained the process by which they take cash donations then denied that her people had sent the thank-you. Noone testified that before thank-you’s were mailed they were signed by the director.
She said that she also did not recall receiving a donation from CYFS or Dohner. She said the card, which was signed “Red Cross Staff”, was not a legitimate card from her office.
Marie Reano, a data processing and payroll clerk for CPCA was also shown a thank-you card her group had allegedly sent to CYFS. She explained their process for taking donations then testified that the card she was shown was not issued by her office. She said she checked their records for a donation and that nothing came up. She then provided the court and both attorneys with thank-you cards CPCA used at the time of the alleged incident and what they use now. Neither appeared to be similar to what CYFS received.
“We weren’t allowed to use anything like that,” said Reano. “That’s not even my handwriting.”
Reano said under cross-examination that different people at her office take the donations that are presented.
Pam Smith, director of the Clearfield County SPCA, said that at Cpl. Gary Simler’s request she checked their records to see if they received donations from CYFS or Dohner. She said there was no record of CYFS or Dohner donating money to the SPCA. She was presented with a copy of the thank-you card her group had allegedly sent to CYFS. She said that the SPCA would not have sent a thank-you card like that in 2005. She said that at the time their thank-you’s were simply a quarter-piece of paper.
Karen Belin, administrative assistant for the American Cancer Society testified that she checked their records to see if CYFS or Lisa Dohner had made a donation. She said they did not. Under cross-examination she said she contacted the Hershey office and had them go through their database.
Former County Commissioner Rex Read, whom Dohner has a civil suit filed against, testified that Dohner’s employment was terminated near the end of March 2006. He was shown a copy of a pack of thank-you cards, which he identified as unused thank-you cards found in Dohner’s desk drawer at the courthouse. Under cross-examination, Read said that McCracken, who is also listed as a defendant in Dohner’s civil suit, was with him when they checked her desk. Read said the office was locked after Dohner had been terminated.
Simler testified that as part of the investigation a standard writing sample was obtained from Dohner and that, along with the thank-you cards, were sent to a handwriting analysis expert in Harrisburg. He said the expert’s conclusion regarding the SPCA card was that it was definitely Dohner’s handwriting. He said the analysis for the CPCA, Red Cross and American Cancer Society cards came stating that there was no conclusive opinion regarding the cards but that there were similarities with Dohner’s handwriting.
Following closing arguments Magisterial District Judge James Hawkins bound all charges to the next term of court. He set bail at $10,000 unsecured and ordered that Dohner have no contact with the witnesses.
As stated earlier, both McCracken and Read are listed as defendants in federal lawsuit filed by Dohner. In that suit she alleges discrimination, equal protection, retaliation and First Right violations.