Dawn Marie Medford appeared in court in January 2017 to face larceny charges. (WHAV News photograph)
A City of Haverhill employee charged with stealing $33,000 from the treasurer’s office rejected a probationary plea deal that could have spared her jail time as she maintains her innocence.
Appearing in Haverhill District Court sitting in Newburyport Thursday, Dawn Marie Medford chose to take her case to trial rather than accept the plea deal worked out with Assistant District Attorney John DePaulo.
Medford was expected to appear at Thursday’s hearing to agree to the conditions of the plea deal, which would have included probation and restitution but not jail time.
The DA’s office intends to seek a jail sentence when her trial begins April 10.
In January 2017, Medford, a resident of the city’s Bradford section, was charged with two counts of larceny over $250 and one count of larceny under $250. While Mayor James J. Fiorentini initially estimated the money lost at $4,000, an outside audit later confirmed the funds totaled just over $5,500 in cash and about $27,600 in checks.
Medford, who worked as a City Hall “floater” across short-staffed departments, was fired after city officials became aware of the thefts in October 2016.