Acevedo whistleblower asks judge who threw out her case to reconsider

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

The Monroe County School District whistleblower who helped uncover the Randy Acevedo credit card scandal has filed a motion asking the judge who threw out her case to reconsider.

Kathy Reitzel, the former school finance director, had filed a whistleblower case against the country school board, claiming she was forced to retire by board members and School Supt. Dr. Joseph Burke after helping uncover credit card abuse by adult education coordinator Monique Acevedo, wife of then-school Supt. Randy Acevedo. Mrs. Acevedo was found guilty of stealing $413,000 from the school district by using a school-issued credit card for her personal use and is serving eight years in jail. Her husband was convicted of three counts of obstructing justice in the investigation and agreed to a plea deal for probation.

Reitzel’s case was set to be heard by Circuit Court Judge Mark Jones. However, Jones summarily dismissed the case on Sept. 30, saying Reitzel was not forced to resign. Reitzel’s attorney, Michael Barnes, filed a motion Sept. 21 asking Judge Jones to reconsider his decision.

“It is essential to justice that that Reitzel’s paragraph by paragraph truth, in response to the defendant school board and their attorney’s lies, be studied, considered and acknowledged,” Barnes said in his motion for reconsideration.

“We do not expect that Jones will grant a rehearing. Once he denies it, then we have 30 days to appeal, which we will do,” Reitzel said.

As a result of Jones dismissing the case, the Monroe County School Board attorney has filed a motion to make Reitzel pay approximately $6,000 in court costs incurred by the school board as a result of her lawsuit.

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