03242020 - News Article - Criminal hearing for former Portage official delayed until May

Criminal hearing for former Portage official delayed until May
NWI Times
March 24, 2020
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/criminal-hearing-for-former-portage-official-delayed-until-may/article_5ba3a83b-2cca-59a6-92a6-d3b5ea8c351e.html

PORTAGE — The initial hearing has again been postponed for Christopher Stidham, the former Democratic Portage clerk-treasurer charged last month with a felony count of official misconduct.

The hearing, which had been scheduled to take place Tuesday afternoon after being continued from a week earlier, is now set for 1 p.m. May 26 before Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer, according to court records.

Many cases in Porter County courts have been delayed due to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The charge accuses 37-year-old Stidham of "creating obligations in excess of appropriations by issuing a bond, certificate or warrant for the payment of money in excess of an appropriation" while performing his official duties.

The offense occurred between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2016, according to the charge.

Stidham is alleged to have paid Keeping the Books, ERG Advisors and Paramount Technology Solutions a combined total of $70,000, contracting them without the city Board of Public Works' approval. All three companies were registered to Rachel E. Glass, Stidham's then-girlfriend and now wife.

The allegations against Stidham originated in April, when then-Mayor John Cannon, a Republican, appointed a bipartisan executive investigative committee to look into potential malfeasance in the clerk-treasurer's office.

Stidham has denied any wrongdoing and previously has said the allegations stem from personal political motivations.

The State Board of Accounts is calling on Stidham to reimburse the city and the state a total of $14,564.55 following its investigation into his alleged misconduct in office.