NEW CASTLE, PA. Judge to rule next year in ex-administrator's case

Roger Havey contends he was not given due process.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- A common pleas court judge will decide the fate of Roger Havey, New Castle Schools former business administrator, after getting written arguments from attorneys.
Havey was fired in May after a hearing before the school board where he admitted that he changed a state document detailing his criminal background. He appealed that decision to common pleas court.
Havey's attorney, his brother John Havey, contends his client was not given due process and has asked Judge J. Craig Cox for a new hearing.
Judge Cox said Tuesday that he wants written arguments before he makes a decision.
Schools Solicitor Charles Sapienza contends the district afforded Havey his due process.
Judge Cox's decision likely won't be made until sometime in February. Havey agreed to have his argument in by Jan. 30 and Sapienza's response in by Feb. 13.
John Havey told the judge he wants a new hearing. He contends the school district denied his request for witnesses and did not respond to his request for a more detailed description of the charges.
Sapienza said the case boils down to the altered documents.
Havey said he changed the document at the instruction of schools superintendent George Gabriel. Gabriel denies that claim.
Havey had pleaded guilty to theft charges in Elk County in 1990. His attorney has said Havey was charged as a result of commingling funds from two organizations.