COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A former El Paso County district attorney accused of using taxpayer money for personal travel has been cited with official misconduct.
John Newsome was cited Tuesday, his last day on the job. Dan May defeated him in the Republican primary and was sworn in as his replacement.
Special prosecutor Al Dominguez says Newsome has agreed to plea “no contest” and will pay a $100 fine.
But Newsome’s attorney, Matt Werner, says Newsome “disputes that he ever intentionally or knowingly possessed public money to convert it to his own use.”
At issue is a side trip Newsome made to his alma mater in 2007 after traveling to Chicago to question a witness to a Colorado Springs murder.
Gov. Bill Ritter’s office has said Newsome initially was reimbursed for the $700 he spent on the trip, but he gave back the money after being questioned by a reporter.
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Information from: The Gazette,
