HIGHLAND PARK (AP) -- A judge has dismissed embezzlement charges against Arthur Blackwell, the former emergency financial manager in Highland Park.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says she'll appeal the decision announced last Thursday by Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway.
Hathaway overturned a ruling that found there was probable cause to hold a trial.
Blackwell was charged with embezzlement and refusing to turn over records. Authorities accused him of taking $264,000 in payments the state didn't authorize. Blackwell says most payments were proper.
His lawyer Ben Gonek says any dispute should have been a civil matter, not a criminal one.
Blackwell tells The Detroit News the judge's decision "showed courage."
In 2005, then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed Blackwell to oversee Highland Park's finances. He was dismissed in 2009.
Published: Mon, Jan 31, 2011
