Wirt teacher headed to trial

FROM NEWSANDSENTINEL.COM -

A Wirt County teacher and coach decided to forgo a plea agreement from the state Wednesday and her case has been set to go to trial in December.
Christine Wilson of Washington, who is charged with embezzlement of funds from the Wirt County Band Boosters, had been scheduled for a change of plea hearing before Judge Robert Waters in Wirt County Circuit Court Wednesday.
However, as she sat in the courtroom, her attorney William Summers told the court of her decision not to accept a plea agreement.
''She does not want to take the plea agreement offered by the state,'' Summers said, adding she might still be willing to enter a plea at a later date.
Wilson, who served as treasurer of a band boosters club, is alleged to have taken almost $9,000 from the club's account. According to the criminal complaint, Wilson took over duties as treasurer for the Wirt County Band Boosters in July 2010 and held the post until February 2011.
Investigators had said they received information from the Wirt County Board of Education regarding discrepancies in the boosters' account.
In the complaint, West Virginia State Police Sgt. C.E. Boring stated he met with Wilson, who admitted to taking $3,600 from the money collected by the club.
Wilson, a teacher at the Wirt County Primary Center who had served as the high school softball coach, was suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case.
Summers moved to have the case continued to the next term of court and have trial set for early December as Wilson will be having surgery in Parkersburg soon and will be recovering when the September term of court is under way.
Waters said the case was not tried earlier this week because the court was under the impression Wilson was going to be entering into a plea agreement Wednesday.
Summers said it was a misunderstanding between him and Wilson on what the proposed plea agreement entailed.
Wirt County Prosecutor Leslie Maze said she was "very upset" with this development as there would have been time and opportunity to try the case earlier this week.
Waters said the case had been scheduled for a while and asked when this surgery became known and why it was scheduled for the week of trial.
After conferring with his client, Summers said the case had been scheduled since July, but scheduling, caseload and other factors prevented Summers from being made immediately aware of it. He said the doctor had two openings for the surgery, the one it is now scheduled for or another date toward the end of the year.
Waters scheduled trial for Dec. 5.
Wilson will remain on bond and will inform the court immediately if any further medical concerns come up.