Alger County Gets Richardson Trial Financial Help

Alger County law enforcement agencies have had their budgets drained this year by the Thomas Richardson murder trial.

It burst their budgets by nearly $100,000.

However, the county board has just come up with some financial help for them for the second time.

The county board is transferring more than $55,000 to the agencies.

The money comes from collection of delinquent taxes.

Most of it is going to the Sheriff’s Department and the prosecutor’s office.

The county board transferred about $43,000 to the agencies last month.

The overspending happened not just because the trial took so long, more than 6 weeks, but because it was moved from Munising to Manistique.

That meant Richardson had to be moved as well, and it jacked up costs.

6 months ago, he was convicted of killing his wife Juanita at Pictured Rocks in June 2006.

County officials say they’re still expecting to take on more costs from the trial.