A Nicholas County woman who allegedly stole Girl Scout money entered an Alford plea following a suppression hearing in Nicholas Circuit Court earlier this month.
Linda McVey, 28, of Carlisle, and her attorney, Public Defender Jennifer Wittmeyer, signed an order granting pretrial diversion of a class D felony in Nicholas Circuit Court Aug. 11.
McVey was arrested March 23 by Carlisle Police Officer Mike Kiskaden and charged with two felonies; first degree forgery and theft by unlawful taking, over $500. According to court documents, McVey allegedly removed money from Girl Scout funds and replaced the money with counterfeit money, which she allegedly printed from her own printer.
The diversion order, which was also signed by Commonwealth’s Attorney Doug Wright, amended the forgery charge to second degree and will result in five years of supervised diversion.
McVey will pay $25 per month for the supervised diversion.
McVey was also ordered to pay $540 of restitution to the Girl Scouts. According to the order, She will also pay court costs and perform 60 hours of community service.
If McVey completes the supervised diversion without violating any of the conditions, she will have the charges dismissed, according to the court order.
If McVey fails to successfully complete the supervised diversion and voids the agreement, the court may impose a sentence equal to or less than the penalty recommended by the prosecutor of three years imprisonment, according to the order.
Nicholas County Deputy Sheriff Bennie Buckler assisted Kiskaden in his investigation.
An Alford plea is not considered a guilty plea, but rather a plea, which acknowledges that there may be evidence present that might result in a guilty verdict.