Court denies judicial release to former Lynchburg treasurer

The former Treasurer of Lynchburg, who was sentenced to serve four years in prison and ordered to pay back $97,000 she stole from the village of Lynchburg, has been denied judicial release from prison in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

Angelique Balon pleaded guilty in December 2010 to two counts of theft in office, felonies of the third- and fourth-degree.  As a result of the plea, a third count of theft in office was dismissed. Balon resigned from her elected position as treasurer in January 2009. A report filed by the state auditor's office for the time period of  Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2007 showed 12 findings of material noncompliance, weakness and deficiency. The court ordered her to pay $97,387.72 in restitution to the village.

On April 23, Balon, acting as her own attorney, filed a motion for judicial release with Highland County Common Pleas Court. A hearing on the matter was held on Wednesday. Balon attended the hearing via video from the Dayton Correctional Institute.

The motion for judicial release was denied, but that Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss appointed William Armintrout to consult with Balon regarding potential post-conviction relief.

She had previously been represented by Hillsboro attorney David Pence, who died in 2011.

According to her motion to the court, Balon wrote, "Being incarcerated for 15 months has given me a lot of time to think. I am deeply contrite for my past values, attitude and conduct that led to my crime. I now have self-control, patience, sound judgment and overall good sense to wield the difficulties of life

"I regretfully can't change what I've done, I can only move forward and make the best out of a bad situation," Balon wrote. "Looking back I see my priorities weren't straight. there's isn't a day I don't regret my actions ... This has been a hard learning experience, one I know I needed.

"The court finds the defendant is ineligible for judicial relief, and therefore denies the motion," Coss said in a court entry filed Wednesday.

It was noted during Balon's January 2011 sentencing hearing that that there was a civil suit still pending, in which the village of Lynchburg was seeking to recover not only the more than $97,000 that was stolen, but an additional $92,000 in audit fees the Auditor's Office of the State of Ohio has assessed to the village for its auditing and investigating of the incident.