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REGIONAL- Former Cook Housing and Rehabilitation Authority Executive Director Reed Erickson, 69, of Side Lake, received two years’ probation and will pay $24,232.90 in restitution for the …
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REGIONAL- Former Cook Housing and Rehabilitation Authority Executive Director Reed Erickson, 69, of Side Lake, received two years’ probation and will pay $24,232.90 in restitution for the nearly $19,000 in compensation for unused leave time that he wrongfully claimed when he left the CHRA in December 2022. That sentence comes after Erickson pled guilty to gross misdemeanor misconduct of a public employee on Friday in St. Louis County District Court.
Judge Michelle M. Anderson sentenced Erickson to 364 days in jail, which Erickson will not serve if he successfully completes two years of unsupervised probation and makes minimum court-ordered payments of $500 a month. Should Erickson pay off the restitution within a year, his probation would be terminated at that time.
In addition, Erickson must have no contact with any Cook HRA residents, employees, or board members, and he may not hold any job or position in which he holds a fiduciary duty with regard to any public entity or public funds.
An original felony charge of embezzlement and a subsequent felony charge of theft filed with the court in December for which Erickson would have faced stiffer maximum penalties were dismissed.
“Public employees throughout our region work hard to keep us all safe and healthy,” said Assistant County Attorney Aaron Welch, who prosecuted the case. “However, when the trust of the public is violated by someone who has promised to serve them, that person must be held to account.”
Current CHRA Executive Director Mike Jugovich discovered the pay discrepancy while reviewing agency records after assuming the position, and an external auditor was called in who confirmed the finding that Erickson had claimed 456 hours of unused vacation time and 40 hours of unused sick time, while he actually only had 99 hours of unused vacation and had exceeded his allowable sick time. Under CHRA policy, Erickson was entitled to a maximum payout of 240 hours of vacation time and no compensation for unused sick time.
Welch told the Timberjay on Tuesday that the court has the option to extend Erickson’s probation by two years if restitution is not paid in full by the end of the original probationary period. If the court either decides not to extend probation or can’t extend probation and restitution is not fully paid, CHRA can pursue civil action or send to collections to recoup the remainder of the judgment.
The County Attorney’s Office thanked the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and the Cook HRA for their investigation and assistance in prosecuting the case.