The Arkansas Court of Appeals, in a decision announced on Wednesday, March 31, affirmed the conviction of Paula Rena Martin, now 40, on six counts of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, felony theft, second-degree forgery, and computer fraud.
In a case before Circuit Judge Sam Pope, Martin admitted she had âembezzled more than $160,000 from J Taylor Construction, LLC, while she was the office manager.â After her guilty plea, she asked that a jury determine her sentencing. The jury sent a sentence of 60 years in prison, a fine of $30,000 and ordered her to pay almost $163,000 in restitution after the 2019 trial.
San Luis Obispo man loses manslaughter conviction appeal
January 10, 2021
Christopher Skiff
The California Court of Appeal rejected an attempt by the former owner of the Manse on Marsh to overturns his convictions for manslaughter and elder dependent abuse over the 2014 death of a dementia patient who walked away from the assisted living facility and was struck by a car.
A few days before Christmas 2014, Mauricio Edgar Cardenas, 65, was hit and killed as he wandered across Los Osos Valley Road. Because of the darkness, the 26-year-old driver of the vehicle was unable to stop.
Shortly afterwards, a whistleblower accused Manse on Marsh owner Christopher Skiff and Executive Director Gary Potts of fraud and elder abuse because they admitted Cardenas, who was diagnosed with dementia, even though the facility was not licensed to house patients with memory issues. Employees accused Skiff and Potts of violating laws for financial reasons.
The Arkansas Court of Appeals has turned down the post conviction relief sought by a Mountain Home woman convicted in a child abuse case
Thirty-four-year-old Alyssia Kirby-Snow was found guilty by a Baxter County Circuit Court jury in early February 2018 of permitting child abuse and endangering the welfare of a minor. The jury acquitted her of first-degree battery.
She was sentenced to 26 years in prison for her alleged involvement in actions that left her then 3-week-old son seriously injured.
Kirby-Snow was represented in her appeal by Little Rock attorney Charles Hancock.
Hancock asked the court of appeals to reverse and dismiss the verdicts against his client or, alternatively, to send the case back to Baxter County Circuit Court for a new trial.