Former Town of Clayton Clerk Dayna Hooverson entered a not guilty plea to the charge of felony theft in a business setting during proceedings in Crawford County Court on Wednesday, July1.
Hooverson is accused of embezzling money, probably in excess of $150,000, over a six-year period from the township.
During the brief hearing held at the courthouse in Prairie Du Chien, Hooverson entered a plea of “not guilty” in a soft tone. If convicted of the Class G Felony, Hooverson faces up to 10 years in prison and upt to a $25,000 fine or both.
Hooverson also waived her right to a preliminary hearing cross-examination during the proceedings last week.
“Ms. Hooverson, what level of education have you completed?” questioned Judge Czajkowski at one point.
“A couple years of tech-college,” responded Hooverson.
“So I can assume you can read and understand English and understand the details of waiving your preliminary examination?” Czajkowski asked.
Hooverson responded with a simple “Yeah.”
Judge Czajkowski immediately followed by explaining that the court had found “more than sufficient” probable cause to exist and decided to take the case to trial.
When questioned on preparation for going forth, both District Attorney Timothy C. Baxter and Hooverson’s Attorney Adrian Wayne Longacre agreed that time would be needed for extensive preparation for the trial.
“We will need some time, as this is pretty lengthy and somewhat complex,” noted Baxter.
Longacre commented on previous experience in situations similar to this and requested a couple of months in preparation time. Judge Czajkowski granted the request and set a date for trial on October 7, at 9 a.m.