11/15/07 - Criminal probe of Stewart Place home sale planned

(As Published by Cortland Standard, Evan Geibel reporting)

A local police agency will investigate circumstances surrounding the attempts of a local woman to buy a long-vacant property at 17 Stewart Place, a county official said Tuesday.

County Administrator Scott Schrader said District Attorney David Hartnett presented an update on the investigation to the county Legislature’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee in an executive session Tuesday morning. Schrader added that Hartnett disclosed the investigation would be handed over to a local police agency.

It is the policy of the District Attorney’s Office not to comment on ongoing investigations, Hartnett said Tuesday after the committee meeting.

Both city and county police said Wednesday morning that they were unaware of any investigation into the matter. State Police Investigator Jeffrey Hall said Wednesday afternoon that the State Police are not involved and would not likely be involved in such an investigation.

The property became a contentious issue in the county Legislature’s 5th Ward election race, in which legislator-elect Kathie Wilcox, a Republican, defeated incumbent Majority Leader Ron Van Dee.

Attorney Larry Knickerbocker is handling the case for the county due to a personal conflict for County Attorney Ric Van Donsel. Knickerbocker said Wednesday that at the request of the county Social Services commissioner, he was retained to “determine if any illegal activity had taken place” and to “determine what the factual underpinnings are in what was done with that property and when.”

“I don’t know if there’s any particular person or persons that they’re focusing on,” Knickerbocker said Wednesday morning.

The county’s Budget and Finance Committee, chaired by Van Dee, first considered waiving a $73,000 Department of Social Services lien on the property at its March 15 meeting.

Honestly here, where did this investigation begin and what is expected to be "uncovered"? Who asked for it and why?