Published: November 18, 2009 10:20 pm      

Wilder pleads not guilty to theft

Clerk-Treasurer’s Next hearing set for Jan. 12

Jeffersonville Clerk-Treasurer Peggy Wilder appeared before Jefferson County, Ky., District Court judge on Wednesday and entered a plea of not guilty to a felony theft by deception charge.

The charge stems from a complaint by a Kentucky car dealer, who said Wilder traded in a vehicle for which she did not have a title. With her sister by her side, Wilder appeared before Judge Erica Lee Williams, in the district court’s warrant division.

Her attorney, Scott Roby, entered the plea and requested an additional arraignment hearing Jan. 12. Judge Williams agreed and Wilder briskly exited the courtroom, the whole event taking less than a few minutes.

After the proceeding, neither Roby nor the car dealer — Ronnie Anderson, of Barrett Avenue’s Carter and Anderson Motorsports — would comment on the proceeding.

According to a criminal summons, released by the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, Wilder traded in a 1998 Volvo that was not in her name Sept. 1. She told Anderson that the vehicle belonged to her, but stated that she did not have the title with her on the date of the purchase.

Having received a $2,000 credit on the Volvo trade in, Wilder drove off the lot in a 1999 Mercedes station wagon, paying an additional $5,434, and promising to bring the Volvo’s title the next day, the summons says.

Wilder never returned. Anderson told authorities that he made numerous attempts to contact her via phone, letter and in person. He has said for previous articles that he still has the title to the Mercedes.

After running a check on the vehicle’s identification number, it was found to have been registered to Sam Swope and did not belong to her, the summons says.

Anderson was left with a vehicle he could not sell because he could not get it transferred into his name.