Plea in Brownstown Schools theft case

A Brownstown man has pleaded guilty to stealing from one tax entity and is continuing to work on settling the case involving theft from another entity.
Rodney L. Deal, 55, pleaded guilty last Wednesday to a count of theft that alleged that he took copper valued at more than $300 from the Brownstown School District in June of last year.
The plea agreement for the Class 3 felony includes a sentence of 120 days in the county jail, with work release privileges and no day-for-day good time credit.
Deal was also placed on probation for 30 months.
He began serving the jail sentence on Monday.
Restitution to the school district was also ordered through the agreement, and Fayette County State’s Attorney Stephen Friedel said Deal had paid full restitution, about $1,500, prior to last week’s court hearing.
Through the plea agreement, a second count of felony theft was dismissed. He was charged with the felony offenses in September of last year.
Still pending is a case in which Deal is charged with taking funds from Otego Township, and Friedel said that he is continuing to negotiate with Deal and his attorney, Rick Day, on resolving that case.
In fact, Friedel said, last week’s plea is tied to the case still pending.
In his docket entry from last Wednesday’s hearing, Associate Judge Allan F. Lolie Jr. of Shelbyville noted that negotiations are continuing in the Otego Township case, and that a plea is likely.
On Oct. 13 of this year, Deal was charged with two counts of felony theft. One count alleges that while serving as the Otego Township supervisor, he stole between $100,000 and $500,000, and the other count alleges the theft of between $10,000 and $100,000.
Deal was also charged with felony official misconduct, allegedly stealing between $10,000 and $100,000 while acting as the township supervisor.
The thefts allegedly occurred between April 1, 1997, and May 1, 2009.
Friedel said that he went on the record during last Wednesday’s hearing to state that he would agree to a sentence that would include 48 months probation and restitution of $130,000.
Lolie noted in his docket entry that Deal is making monthly restitution payments of $1,000, and Friedel said that Deal has already paid $23,500 toward the total amount, with that money coming from the sale of his home.
He is not required to make restitution payments while in jail, Lolie noted.6
Friedel said that he is bound to accept a plea agreement as long as Deal successfully serves the jail term in his other case, continues to make restitution and complies with all other probation terms.