HELENA — Broadwater County Commissioner Laura Obert has been charged with felony theft and official misconduct, a misdemeanor.
The theft charge originally stems from an incident dating back to 2015 where Obert allegedly told Broadwater County Payroll to give her additional hourly pay over her salary pay as a commissioner.
Court records say the additional pay above her salary totaled $8,897.17.
The Commissioner is also accused of not properly disclosing conflicts of interest when voting on matters where Montana Business Assistance Connection (MBAC) was involved. Her husband is the executive director of MBAC.
To resolve the matter, Obert entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in 2016, repaid the money and agreed to disclose any further conflicts of interest as a commissioner.
According to court documents, Obert is alleged to have breached the terms of that agreement by not disclosing her ties with MBAC on six separate occasions since the agreement was reached.
Obert's lawyer Brian Gallick of Bozeman told MTN his client is not guilty of the charges, and is looking forward to her day in court.
Obert is scheduled to make her first appearance in court on Jun 5. Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert is serving as special prosecutor for the case. It will be heard before First Judicial District Court Judge Mike Menahan.
