Apr. 24—LIMA — A pretrial hearing in Allen County Common Pleas Court for the former executive director of the Allen County Regional Transit Authority failed to materialize Thursday due to what was described as a breakdown in communication.
Shelia Haney, 63, was scheduled to appear at 10 a.m. Thursday in front of Judge Terri Kohlrieser for a hearing. When the appointed hour arrived, Haney was still at her Texas home, and her attorney, Sean Boyle, was at his office in Columbus.
According to a court staffer, Boyle believed the pretrial hearing was to be conducted remotely. Samuel Kirk, a special prosecutor with the Ohio Auditor’s Office, was present in the Allen County Justice Center and reportedly did speak briefly with Haney’s attorney.
Kirk has been appointed by the Allen County prosecutor’s office to head up the case against Haney, who is alleged to have stolen nearly $27,000, according to the Ohio Auditor’s Office.
Haney was indicted by a grand jury in October 2024 on charges including theft in office, four counts of tampering with records and counts of tampering with evidence and telecommunications fraud. All the counts are third-degree felonies.
A jury trial is scheduled for July 7. A final pre-trial will be held June 5.
The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Ohio Auditor’s Office Special Investigations Unit. According to a release from the auditor’s office, the investigation was started after discrepancies were found related to “proceeds from the sale of salvage vehicles and, separately, Haney’s expense reports.”
Haney resigned from the RTA on Feb. 14, 2020.
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