Uintah 'whistle-blower' is charged with obstruction

VERNAL — A former manager of the Uintah Special Service District, who has a pending "whistler-blower" suit against Uintah County, has been indicted by a federal grant jury, accusing her of obstructing a federal investigation of the district.

Kathryn V. Erickson, 53, now of Raft River, Idaho, has been charged with three counts of corruptly influencing, obstructing and impeding the administration of justice during the course of a federal grand jury investigation.

A summons was issued to Erickson, whose arraignment date was expected to be set sometime this week, said Melodie Rydalch, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah.

The indictment alleges that Erickson, who was the district manager from 1996 to 2001, falsified documents that were to be presented to a grand jury in its investigation of the district, which oversees road construction in Uintah County. The government initiated an investigation in 2000 into the way the district and county were allocating federal dollars on road projects.

U.S. Attorney Paul Warner said that Erickson provided the federal grand jury with the false documents when they were subpoenaed.

"This case, which includes three felony charges, demonstrates our strong commitment to protecting this important process," Warner said in a press release issued Friday. "Anyone who intentionally tries to corrupt the process by providing falsified documents can expect aggressive prosecution."

Reed Adams, Erickson's attorney, could not be reached for comment.

Ironically, accusations made by Erickson and former Uintah County road boss Lonnie Hogan, were the reason the grand jury was convened. The pair alleged that district, which receives state and federal funds and handles the county's road and transportation matters, illegally diverted funds and obtained funding it was not eligible to receive.

The indictments are the first to be issued through the course of the investigation, which involved the FBI. Because it has been five years since the grand jury investigation, many had assumed it had concluded with no findings.

The three indictments specifically allege that prior to submitting documents to the grand jury in August 2000, Erickson falsified change orders for paving projects by modifying the dates on contracts between the service district and Ned B. Mitchell Construction, Inc.

Uintah Deputy County Attorney Ed Peterson said criminal sanctions against Erickson were expected.