Former Eugene Weekly business manager Elisha Young, indicted by a Lane County grand jury April 3 on five felony counts of theft, appeared in a Lane County Jail courtroom July 3 for an arraignment.
This comes a year and a half after the Weekly had to temporarily lay off its entire staff and close its doors after discovering that Young allegedly embezzled more than $100,000.
At the arraignment, Young pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied allegations of aggravating circumstances. She may be released from jail, but only to a court-approved address, according to the arraignment where she also asked for a public defender.
Young is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial conference August 7 at 2:30 pm.
Young was arrested for the first time on May 6 in Whitehall, Ohio, but was later released after Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s office refused to pay to have her extradited to Lane County to face the charges. Media outlets across Oregon reported the story.
Lane County district attorney Chris Parosa told EW at the time that the extradition denial was part of a recent pattern. The Oregonian found that Kotek’s office also denied the extradition from Texas of an individual suspected in a string of burglaries targeting Asian American families in the Eugene-Springfield area.
On May 27, Kotek’s office reversed its denial in the Eugene Weekly embezzlement case after public outcry and media coverage. The office also later reversed its decision in the Asian American burglaries case.
Young was re-arrested on June 12 after U.S. Marshals attempted to make contact with her at a residence in Piqua, Ohio. Young was not present, but the marshals were able to contact Young by phone and she subsequently surrendered to authorities. In a statement to EW, the Eugene Police Department confirmed that the arrest was not initiated voluntarily by Young and instead was “a result of investigative efforts.”
Young was extradited to Oregon, showing up on the Lane County Jail viewer on July 2.
Young appeared in court in a wheelchair with what looked like an injured left foot. At the arraignment, judicial officer Beatrice Grace said in order to be released Young must reside at a court-approved address while she waits for her August 7 pretrial conference.
“While I understand there are reasons for pre-trial release, I am hoping after all the effort put into this extradition that the justice system is able to move forward, and there is resolution for the employees of the Weekly and the community that has supported this newspaper,” says Editor Camilla Mortensen.
If convicted on all five counts, Young could face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines.