Records: Laingsburg librarian given $90,000 after fraud allegations dismissed
City officials said they found no evidence that she had falsified her work hours or destroyed police property
Records: Laingsburg librarian given $90,000 after fraud allegations dismissed City officials said they found no evidence that she had falsified her work hours or destroyed police property Check out this story on lansingstatejournal.com: https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2019/05/06/laingsburg-librarian-gets-90-000-settlement-city-plus-apology/3662976002/
Kara Berg, Lansing State Journal Published 7:40 a.m. ET May 6, 2019 | Updated 9:44 a.m. ET May 6, 2019
LAINGSBURG — A Laingsburg librarian falsely accused of defrauding the city library got much more than a public apology as a part of a settlement agreement.
Sandra Chavez, 60, received $90,000 after city officials said they found no evidence that she had falsified her work hours or destroyed police property, according to a news release from the city.
Chavez, of Owosso, filed a lawsuit against Laingsburg alleging discrimination and violations of the state's whistleblower protection act after police brought criminal charges of false pretenses, malicious destruction of fire or police property and larceny in a building.
The charges, which were dismissed in July, accused Chavez of indicating on her time sheet that she was working at the library when she was not, damaged a hidden police camera set up to observe her attendance and stealing the memory card from the camera.
However, after further investigation, the city and the Library Board determined she did not "defraud, cheat, or engage in time card fraud with regard to her hours worked," according to the release.
Chavez and Laingsburg settled the lawsuit April 23. As a part of the settlement agreement, the city was required to send out a news release detailing the results of its investigation.
"The City apologizes to Ms. Chavez for the allegations that resulted from the misunderstanding regarding the terms of her employment," the city said in its news release.
The State Journal obtained the information about the $90,000 settlement through a Freedom of Information Act request.
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Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.
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