Plea deal rejected for ex-Indiana county auditor

SPENCER, Ind. - A judge has rejected an agreement under which a former county auditor in southern Indiana was expected to plead guilty to criminal charges of wrongly paying personal expenses with county-issued credit cards.

The Owen County judge overseeing the case against former Monroe County Auditor Amy Gerstman said during a court hearing Monday that she had problems with the proposed plea agreement.

The penalties in that deal haven't been released. Special prosecutor Barry Brown tells The Herald-Times that the judge wanted Gerstman to face greater punishment.

Gerstman faces felony counts of theft and official misconduct over some $11,000 in charges during 2010 and 2011 for clothing, travel to New York and Florida and her children's school tuition.

Gerstman's lawyer says she has repaid all that money.