FORMER NRAD BOARD PRESIDENT SENT TO JAIL

FORMER NRAD BOARD PRESIDENT SENT TO JAILRawlings also ordered to pay back $125,000; meanwhile, ambulance district says it still plans to build station at site near Camden PointJason Lawrence

Citizen Staff

Platte County Judge Dennis Eckold split the difference last week when he ordered former Northland Regional Ambulance District (NRAD) Board President Kevin Rawlings to serve 15 days in jail and make a six-figure restitution payment.

Rawlings was sentenced last Thursday morning for his role in a 2011 land deal between himself and NRAD that authorities say netted Rawlings approximately $144,000. After numerous delays and continuances, he finally pled guilty to the charge Oct. 16 after being charged Feb. 1 of this year with the Class A misdemeanor of misusing public information.

Eckold handed down a suspended imposition of sentence with two years of court supervised probation, which limited him to levying a maximum of 30 days shock time in the Platte County Jail for Rawlings.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd recommended the full 30 days jail time at Rawlings hearing Nov. 30 and said he would have asked for more if he could. Rawlings attorney, Kathleen Fischer, asked for no shock time or a limited amount if any was deemed necessary.

Eckold split it right down the middle, requiring Rawlings to serve 15 days in jail. He began serving his jail time at 5 p.m. Dec. 6.

Eckold also split the state and defenses restitution request. The state asked for $144,400 in restitution based on the $30,600 valuation its general certified appraiser Neil Faucett gave the property. The defense asked for $105,000 in restitution, citing appraiser (and former Platte County Commissioner) Tom Pryors $65,000 valuation of the property and $5,000 worth of dirt work Rawlings had completed to get the property ready to build on.

Eckold said a letter from Faucett to assistant prosecuting attorney Justin Kalwei dated Aug. 6 stated that market value is somewhere between the two appraisals, which prompted him to value the property at $50,000. The judge also gave credit for the dirt work in ordering $125,000 in restitution be paid by Jan. 5, 2013.

We thought the full amount of restitution in the case was appropriate, Zahnd said. If the court were to err, it should err on the side of the taxpayer. In the end, the judge has to make a decision and well accept that decision. On the 30 days of jail time, if I couldve asked for more, I would have. With the suspended imposition and probation it is the most I could ask for. I believe that 30 days is appropriate and would have asked for more if I could have.

Rawlings and his attorney declined comment after the sentence was handed down.

In addition, Eckold ordered Rawlings to pay $650 to the Platte County Prosecutors Office for the appraisal within the next 30 days.

According to court documents, Rawlings, 40, bought approximately 34 acres of land in the Camden Point area near the intersection of Interstate 29 and Route E for $130,000 in April 2010 after initially declining to buy the property a year prior. He then resold 1.53 acres to the ambulance district which had planned to build a new station at the site for $175,000 in March 2011. No appraisal of the land was completed prior to the sale.

Rawlings was elected to the NRAD Board of Directors in 2005 and elected the Boards president in April 2007. According to court documents, as early as 2008, Rawlings knew that NRAD planned to build a new station in the area of U Highway and the Camden Point exit off Interstate 29. During a Sept. 20, 2010 board meeting, months after Rawlings had purchased the 34 acres, Rawlings directed then-NRAD Executive Director Tom Taylor to begin searching for available property in the same area.

Bids were posted in local newspapers, but Rawlings was the only person to make a formal bid. In addition, authorities say, negotiations to purchase the property from Rawlings had begun prior to the bid posting.

Rawlings did not run for re-election to the NRAD Board last spring and Taylor retired from his post last spring as well.

NRAD, which is a taxpayer-funded entity that provides ambulance and emergency medical service to most of northern Platte County and a portion of Clay County, is governed by a six-person Board, two of whom were elected last spring. The districts Executive Director is now Scott Roy, a longtime paramedic with the District.

Roy said he is glad the situation has been resolved.

Mr. Rawlings did what he did and the Board has worked with the prosecutors office to get restitution, Roy said. On behalf of the taxpayers, we are glad to get the restitution and we are ready to move forward.

Roy said while all previous plans for a new station at the site near Camden Point were put on hold pending the resolution of Rawlings case, it was still the Districts intent to build it.

The District has retained ownership of the land in question and the Board still wishes to develop a new facility there, he said. The question is when is that feasible? The District has other needs, but I think we will have some definitive plans by next summer.

Last week, after Rawlings was sentenced, Roy issued the following statement on behalf of the NRAD Board of Directors: The Northland Regional Ambulance District (NRAD) takes its responsibility of treatment and transport of the sick and injured in our area very seriously. The District realizes that it must also be a responsible steward of public funds in order to successfully complete its mission.

The District is audited yearly by a certified public accountant and has policies in place to ensure the safekeeping of funds. Further, the District has strengthened its policies to ensure compliance with any required bidding process.

The Board appreciates those residents who voiced concerns with the purchase of the property in question. It is that civic participation that ultimately led to this outcome. The District welcomes the involvement of the community in voicing any concern that will improve its services.

The restitution recovered will greatly benefit the Districts future plans for improvement of service.