LAKE COUNTY — Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins said Tuesday that he plans to meet with the Lake County Grand Jury regarding allegations against the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE) when he returns from a trial in Contra Costa County.
“We have no information about who is making the allegations and what they are alleging,” Hopkins said.
The allegations came in the form of a list of findings in the Grand Jury”s 2007-08 report. They included fraud, exorbitant spending, misuse of grant money, employee abuse, wrongful dismissal, policy violations and negligence involving a student. The report did not name individuals, and did not make recommendations.
“We would want to know, are there documents to support the allegations, is there other evidence, whether this is hearsay or first-hand knowledge, that kind of thing.
We will discuss what information they have and make a determination about what type of investigation, if any, is needed,” Hopkins said.
Grand Jury Foreman Brondell Locke said the jury would only give Hopkins documentation that supports criminal charges. He said the jury did not find evidence that grant fund were misused.
The LCOE plans to respond, according to Deputy Superintendent of Schools Chris Thomas. Locke said the response is not required.
