Charges of receiving stolen property, theft and misappropriation of government funds against a former Hellertown borough councilman and borough emergency management coordinator were dropped last week after he paid $7,500 in restitution to Dewey EMS, local newspapers have reported.
John M. Bate was Dewey EMS Captain until 2015 (FILE PHOTO)
Former ambulance captain John Bate, 57, had been accused of overbilling the ambulance service–which is attached to Dewey Fire Company No. 1–for about 2,800 hours authorities said he did not work between 2011 and 2015.
He was accused of owing more than $38,000 to compensate for the hours.
Bate’s attorney, Erv McLain, said the theft accusation was the result of poor bookkeeping and that Bate was unaware he was receiving a $7,500 stipend in addition to his salary, according to a Lehigh Valley Live story.
McLain told the newspaper that as Dewey EMS evolved from an all-volunteer organization to one with paid staff, its by-laws weren’t updated to reflect the change.
The Morning Call interviewed the prosecutor in the case, Assistant District Attorney James Augustine, who told them he wasn’t sure what a jury would have determined about the stipend had the case gone to trial.
However, he characterized the $7,500 repayment of it as fair restitution, the Morning Call reported.
Bate resigned his council seat–to which he had been appointed to fill a vacancy–as well as the EMA coordinator position after the charges were filed in February.
