A judge turned down a prosecution motion Monday, Oct. 29 for the removal of Cindy Greatrex from any community boards as a condition of bond while she awaits an embezzlement trial.
Greatrex, 52, is charged with grand theft in the loss of $67,935 while she was president of the La Jolla Park & Recreation Inc. Board. She resigned from that board, but her new attorney, Michael Pancer, said Greatrex now serves on only one board now, the La Jolla Community Planning Board.
“It’s a community planning board. She’s not handling any funds,” said Pancer.
“I see no relationship of her appearing on bond and serving on this board,” said Pancer.
Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvis made the motion before San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Smyth when Greatrex came into court to replace her previous attorney with Pancer on Monday.
Darvis said the embezzlement charge involves “an abuse of trust” and argued Greatrex not serve on any community board. Even if she didn’t handle money on this other board, “it has the potential for money” handling somewhere, said Darvis.
Pancer said the previous prosecutor did not argue this motion before and didn’t see how it was relevant now. Smyth denied the motion but ruled the prosecutor could make the same motion before another judge later.
The trial had been scheduled to start Nov. 8, but it was delayed until March 12, 2019, after Pancer argued he was just coming onto the case and needed time to prepare. Darvis did not object.
Pancer is a longtime criminal defense attorney whose most publicized case was defending then-Mayor Roger Hedgecock in his first trial in 1985 on campaign misconduct charges. The first jury deadlocked, but a second trial ended in a conviction which was overturned on appeal years later.
Greatrex has pleaded not guilty to one count of grand theft. She remains free on $70,000 bond.
Greatrex has testified she spent her own money to pay various vendors and made checks out to herself for reimbursement. She says she paid many vendors in cash and did not have some of the receipts.
She testified she paid $40,000 of her own money to a Chicago firm for grant writing services and has denied committing any theft.