The entirety of the Tucker County Commission pleaded “Not Guilty” in Tucker County Circuit Court on Tuesday, August 18 to charges of “Unauthorized Expenditure by Local Official” before the Honorable H. Charles Carl, III, Judge of the 26th Judicial Circuit who was assigned temporarily to the 22nd Judicial Circuit for the case by the Supreme Court of Appeals following the recusal of both Judge Shaffer and Judge Bright.
All three cases were held in a packed courtroom in the courthouse annex of the Tucker County Courthouse in Parsons. Approximately two dozen people were present for the hearing in which Tucker County Commissioner Frederick J. “Fred” Davis, Jr., Tucker County Commissioner Timothy “Tim” Knotts and Tucker County Commission President Michael “Mike” Rosenau waived the reading of waived the formal reading of charges. The three Commissioners appeared in Court with their individual attorneys.
Each case was called before Judge Carl individually with Davis to be the first to be heard. Knotts’s case was called second, with Rosenau’s case last. Each Commissioner was given a $2,000 recognizance bond, as the prosecution did not deem them to be a flight risk. Knotts’s attorney asked the court if his bond could allow for travel out of the state due to agricultural reasons, as Knotts is a farmer. Due to that same reason, the attorney asked for a firearms exemption, as well. Judge Carl said there were no restrictions on any of the Commissioners’.
The next pre-trial hearing for the case was scheduled for November 10 at 1:30 p.m. Judge Carl said he would schedule a plea or trial at that time in the case.
