The recent switch in public defenders serving Morgan County District Court again led to a continuance in the case against a Fort Morgan woman for allegedly embezzling local Girl Scout funds.
Jennifer Streit-Jensen, 33, faces charges in Morgan County District Court of class 4 felony theft of $1,000 to $20,000 and class 4 felony computer crime theft of $1,000 to $20,000 in connection with money that went missing from local Girl Scout troops.
Public Defender Lisa Herbst, who moved from Adams County District Court to Morgan County District Court in August, told District Court Judge Douglas Vannoy on Thursday that she needed more time to go through the evidence to prepare her case.
"We have a very large amount of discovery," Herbst said, adding that the evidence was on a computer disk and she and her client were going through it. "It's kind of an accounting issue and an accounting problem."
She said she was trying to figure out what all of the bank statements in that evidence could mean for her client.
Herbst asked for another continuance to a disposition hearing.
Dep. District Attorney Zachary Balkin did not object, but he did request that Vannoy make this the last disposition hearing continuance.
"I realize that they're changing attorneys, but this case is getting a little long in the tooth," he told the judge. "A representative from the Girl Scouts is present, and they are getting very frustrated" with delays.
The prosecution previously alleged Streit-Jensen took $6,427 worth of funds from area Girl Scout troops 3334, 357 and 108 between April 2 and Aug. 4, 2012.
Balkin added that many of the alleged victims in the case, "the actual Girl Scouts, are graduating and going off to college. They're not going to be around" to see the case's resolution.
Vannoy said he agreed with Balkin's concerns.
"We need a plea, a disposition or we need to go to trial if that's what's going to happen," he told the attorneys and Streit-Jensen.
He set the case over to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 29 for either a disposition hearing or an arraignment.
Streit-Jensen was not arrested in this case, instead receiving a summons in late January to appear in February to hear the charges against her.
Vannoy said her summons would continue until then.
If the case were to go to trial and Streit-Jensen were convicted on both class 4 felony charges, she could face two to six years in prison, but she also may be eligible for a probationary sentence.
A plea deal, which is at the District Attorney's Office's discretion, could net a more lenient sentence and conviction on only one felony charge or even on lesser charges.
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