OUR VIEW: Cases were resolved in the best way

Staff Editorial
Published: October 8, 2008

» SUMMARY: Taxpayers were well served with the recent resolution of two court cases involving people in positions of public trust.

Two court cases that involved well-known people in our community saw resolution in the court system in recent weeks.

Former Culpeper Town Councilman and longtime insurance agent David Martin was ordered to pay restitution and serve 100 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to misde-meanor charges of embezzlement and failure to file his individual state tax returns from 2004 to 2006.

Former Culpeper Police Officer Kandy M. Crawford was found guilty of ignoring a subpoena when she skipped the trial of a man who was convicted of attacking police with a stun gun.

Crawford, who now works for the Orange PD, could have the charge dropped in six months if she has maintained good behavior.

Some may say that Martin and Crawford got off easy.

Message boards have been filled with writers who say that “ordinary” folks would have had the book thrown at them if they had been in similar circumstances.

That could be true, but in both of these cases there were extenuating circumstances. Without making excuses for the actions of Martin and Crawford, consider that:

-Martin did not cost his insurance clients any money. Instead, his case involved funds from MetLife; restitution to that company has been made and more was ordered.

-Crawford is anything but a criminal; she missed her court case because she was on a camping trip with a local Boy Scout group.

Cases in which public trust is involved are usually sensitive and emotional. But when you weigh the circumstances and the facts against the cost of long and protracted litigation, it was good to get these resolved. It was the right thing for the system and for the taxpayers.