No state charges will be filed against former Fox C-6 School District Superintendent Dianne Critchlow, according to St. Charles County Prosecuting Tim Lohmar, who had been assigned to review the case.
“The review of the investigation is now concluded; with a finding that there were no violations of the criminal laws of the State of Missouri, and consequently, no criminal charges will be filed,” Lohmar announced today (Jan. 19) in a written statement.
The review was conducted after the Missouri Auditor’s Office completed an audit of the district in May 2016 and reported that Critchlow had misspent taxpayer money to benefit herself and her husband, Jamie Critchlow, another former Fox district administrator.
Critchlow’s attorney, Brandy B. Barth, said Lohmar’s decision not to file charges shows there was no evidence of misspending.
“To be clear, if Dr. Dianne Critchlow had done any of the things the District, John Brazeal or State Auditor Nicole Galloway and her office had accused her of, Dr. Critchlow would have been criminally charged,” Barth said today in a written statement. “These allegations have been found to be baseless and Dr. Critchlow has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.”
Lohmar’s review of the case followed on the heels of a federal investigation that also resulted in no charges.
After learning that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had concluded its review of the Critchlow case and decided against filing any federal charges, Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Forrest Wegge asked that a special prosecutor be assigned to the case, and Jefferson County Presiding Circuit Judge Darrell Missey ruled in favor of his request and in November 2016, Lohmar was named the special prosecutor.
Wegge and Missey both said it would be better for the case to be reviewed outside of Jefferson County since people in the county know Critchlow.
Barth said the allegations against Critchlow hurt her reputation and employment opportunities and she will file a lawsuit against her accusers.
“It is time for the public’s and the media’s outrage to focus on the true wrongdoers – the people who lied to and deceived them, humiliated and embarrassed Fox C-6 School District, and defamed an innocent, life-long public servant,” Barth said in the statement. “We intend to hold all of the responsible parties accountable in a court of law.”
Previously, Barth said the sate audit report was a “biased and one-sided account filled with inaccuracies, half information and misleading statements.”
Galloway today said she stands by the findings in the audit report.
“The former superintendent used taxpayer dollars to personally benefit herself and a select few individuals close to her at the expense of the students, families and staff of the Fox School District,” she said. “Whether those facts rise to the level of a criminal prosecution is at the sole discretion of the prosecuting attorney."
Lohmar’s office reported that as part of the review into the Critchlow case, it looked at a variety of evidence, including the audit report and an FBI report.