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Judiciary worker who stole
workbooks is resigningQuestion: What ever happened to the Judiciary employee charged with taking driver's education workbooks and selling them for his benefit?
Answer: Solomon Batoon, who was convicted last year of stealing state property and selling it for his personal benefit, has agreed to resign from the state Judiciary, effective March 31.
The move comes more than five years after the Judiciary started an internal investigation into Batoon and suspended him for 20 working days in 1998. The suspension was later reduced to six days after he filed a grievance.
Batoon, 56, worked in the Judiciary's Driver's Education Division for 10 years and at one time was its administrator.
Judiciary spokeswoman Marsha Kitagawa confirmed Batoon has submitted his resignation.
Batoon, on special assignment with the deputy chief court administrator's office in Circuit Court, could not be reached for comment.
Batoon pleaded no contest in July to taking $350 worth of driver's education workbooks, selling them to a private driver's education instructor and pocketing the money. Batoon, who runs his own driver's education business, also pleaded no contest to ordering state workbooks to conduct classes for Amfac employees on Kauai and keeping the money.
Circuit Judge Michael Town said Batoon violated his position of trust, and sentenced him to five years' probation. He also ordered Batoon to pay a $3,500 fine, pay restitution of $1,946 and perform 200 hours of community service.
During court proceedings, Deputy Attorney General Colleen Chun cited additional incidents of alleged misconduct that their investigation uncovered but for which Batoon was not charged. The incidents involved Batoon's alleged misuse of his position in the Driver's Education Division.
After learning of the additional allegations, the Judiciary evaluated Batoon's suitability to continue working for the Judiciary. The results were shared with Batoon, who submitted his resignation, Kitagawa said.
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