Fremont County Commissioner responds to county clerk plea deal

The Fremont County Board of Commissioners said they’re not happy with how Fremont County Clerk and Recorder’s case was handled.

Katie Barr, the clerk for the county, accepted a plea deal for misusing taxpayer money.

With the plea deal, Barr’s charges were reduced, leaving her with just a misdemeanor charge, a fine, community service and a financial responsibility class to complete.

Fremont County Commissioner Tim Payne said the board did not know about the issues, and when they found out, took the necessary steps to hold Barr accountable, including calling for Barr’s resignation.

However, Payne said because Barr is an elected official, they cannot remove her from office.

“The DA we felt, should have prosecuted the case. The Cañon City police department, along with the FBI felt they had a strong case, felt like they had a lot of good physical evidence,” Payne said.

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Currently, Barr is still on Fremont County’s payroll but is not reporting to the Clerk and Recorder’s office for work.