Meadville Mayor Jaime Kinder had a preliminary hearing Thursday morning after she was accused of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits back in 2019.
The hearing in front of Magistrate Judge Samuel Pendolio was to determine if there was enough evidence to send the case for trial in the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas.
The criminal complaint said there was a false statement of income that would have affected her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Her attorney said this was an error that could be corrected through restitution. She said the mayor never tried to maliciously take any extra food stamps.
Kinder made the payment of $966, and the case was dismissed.
“It makes me feel very good. Honestly, I’m going to go real candid with you, being a black women, being charged with something like this, it’s very typical and it’s heartbreaking. It just didn’t happen,” said Jaime Kinder, Meadville Mayor.
The mayor added that she is glad to now move forward.
