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COLUMBIANA COUNTY, Ohio (WKBN) -- A woman indicted earlier in the year on charges of defrauding Norfolk Southern entered a motion claiming the actions were a result of post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the East Palestine train derailment.
Lauren Fegert was one of three people indicted by a Columbiana County Grand Jury in February on the charges of grand theft for misuse of Norfolk Southern funds.
A detective with the East Palestine Police Department told First News Fegert defrauded Norfolk Southern of $15,889.82 after she submitted altered hotel invoices for stays that never occurred. Authorities flagged her submissions as suspicious after paperwork was submitted for the date April 31 when there are only 30 days in April.
Fegert had entered a not-guilty plea on March 4, but on Friday Attorney Grant MacKay submitted a motion requesting a leave of the guilty plea, according to court records. In place of the plea, MacKay filed a motion for treatment in lieu of conviction.
According to the motion, Fegert "was under extreme mental duress amounting to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." It also states her condition was a result of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine and that she had a fear of returning to the area.
The motion states it was her belief that the toxins would result in the deaths of herself and her children and that the toxins may affect her pregnancy, as some of the chemicals are known to affect fertility. It concludes that her PTSD led to her committing the offense and if she completes treatment, the likelihood of any future criminal activity will be "significantly reduced."
Fegert has not been convicted of any offense as of the publishing of this article.
Court proceedings are still ongoing for Johnna Cozza and Scott Meyer, who were both indicted at the same time as Fegert, on charges of grand theft and forgery.