Plea deal offered to former executive director of drug abuse counseling center in Clinton

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Plea deal offered to former executive director of drug abuse counseling center in Clinton

By EVAN WHITE

Story Created: Apr 21, 2008 at 11:28 AM EST

Story Updated: Apr 21, 2008 at 12:12 PM EST

UTICA - Ole Pettersen is accused of bilking nearly half-a million dollars from the State Health Department. Monday he entered a plea of not-guilty in Oneida County Court. The Attorney General's office is prosecuting this case, and says its ready to go to trial.

Pettersen's Attorney will soon receive documents in case he says the state has been investigating for two years. His client faces a total of 16 charges for allegedly cheating the Health Department out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

During last Fall's County Executive race, Pettersen expressed interest in running for the position. Now, he faces a count of grand larceny, and ten counts of falsifying business records, as well as five counts of using a false document for filing.

A plea offer was extended by the prosecutors, neither the defense nor Attorney General prosecuting the case would offer comment on the offer.

Pettersen's attorney - Frank Policelli - says he expects the case to be moved from a criminal case to a civil case. The Attorney General's office has not said yet whether that is, in fact, going to happen.

The case is being adjourned until May 19, when Pettersen is expected to accept or reject the prosecution's offer.

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Tuesday, Apr 29 at 5:35 PM "A previous patient at C.A.R" wrote ...

I started that place from the get-go.4/8/03..Ole is/was a lying thieving devious individual from the start..he broke confidentiality, he ruined lives,he literally took another mothers baby from her and tried taking custody away..he would make certain men/women give urine samples in the bathroom after they had removed all their clothes! the last few years I was there he barely ever said hello or spoke for longer than a few words to anyone..he was rude, arrogant, manipulative,he really didn't care

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 3:59 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Herion addicts that were being treated at the clinic are getting up VERY early to take a van out to syracuse. Chances are they will end up back on the streets, and the crime will continue to climb in utica. I hope that the power of abuse is stopped, and the abusers are taken to task. Ole is INNOCENT. NYS is GUILTY. As I write this, the Pettersens are on the brink of financial ruin-for helping others. These are not wealthy people. They have been abused by the NYS.

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 12:28 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I worked many years ago with Ole and this is not in his nature. He was a very caring and giving man. He always helped others and was a very honest man. Not Ole it can't be.

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 11:58 AM whatever wrote ...

As a human services provider, I know for a fact that several clients were left to the streets, the Insight House has a select few openings for methadone maintenance and they know it! There is very limited slots for this type of program. Some of my clients were being sent to Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany. You tell me what addict is gonna take time to travel to other cities when they can try to maintain at home with street drugs?????

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 11:23 AM Nicole wrote ...

I love when people try to discuss something they know nothing about. The closest methadone MAINTENENCE center is Syracuse. However, local hospitals will SOMETIMES, depending on the case, use methadone to DETOX a patient. So, yeah, if u are a Heroin addict in Utica trying to get better, You'd better have a car or an understanding family that will drive you back & forth to Syracuse daily.

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 10:40 AM Anonymous wrote ...

"Oh, 'No problem' that this clinic closed ... just sign them up here!" The person who wrote this has no heart for what a client goes through when pulled from their recovery program and their counselor. It isn't just as easy as 1-2-3, sign them up somewhere else. CAR was doing great things - I think there's a covetousness for their clients. They are people who've now been treated terribly insensitively by a state that does not care. They can't just be moved around like cattle.

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 10:06 AM Anonymous wrote ...

The closing of this clinic WAS a very bad thing. People relapsed and ended up back in jail, or back on the streets. Corrupt NYS IRRESPONSIBLY tryed to shut things down due to their own unwarrented investigation - no one has been found guilty of anything. Many have suffered because of it. OF COURSE Insight House is cheering. "Come to us!" No love lost there. CAR had a wonderful success rate with its clients. The stats show that. It's relapsed former clients are costing the taxpayers more.

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 8:02 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Oh, wow - a prospective employee has "no doubt" that Ole is guilty. What a careless statement. "CARE" less. This person does not care, or value "innocent until proven guilty" - does not value life - only their own. I doubt very much that whatever dealings this person has had with CAR and Ole, would put them in an "in the know" position concerning Medicaid clients and billing. "Have no doubt ..." It's just unbelievable the way people can be. But why am I surprised? What a sad world.

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 5:53 AM wondering wrote ...

Why isn't the plea offer being made public? Is there behind the scenes negociating going on? Mr. Pettersen, as reported, was interested in running for public office - does this make his matters of public record non public? Why haven't any news investigators reported on what the plea offer is?

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Tuesday, Apr 22 at 4:03 AM inquiring minds wrote ...

Insight house has been a HUGE asset to the community and done amazing things. There are methadone treatment places in the community. Contact your local Er, or doctor to find out where they are. The closing of his clinic is not a bad thing... the ones that took over are doing a wonderful job

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Monday, Apr 21 at 6:04 PM Anonymous wrote ...

You have no doubt he'guilty?? hard evidence or wishful thinking, disgruntled employee or disgruntled client. Did you work in billing? You are heartless - because in fact you have no idea and yet you say so, so carelessly. I have no doubt he's innocent. Innocent until proven guilty.

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Monday, Apr 21 at 5:40 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I don't doubt that he is guilty of this, I've had my own dealings w/ Ole and Center for Addiction Recovery as a prospective employee. The issue is, what did he do with the monies? If they were actually used for patient care (which they very may well have been), or did he pocket it for personal gain?

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Monday, Apr 21 at 3:23 PM Anonymous wrote ...

to whatever - because of the greedy state of NY, these people are back on the streets. Shame on the corrupt officials using their power to abuse so many ...

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Monday, Apr 21 at 2:25 PM whatever wrote ...

I know so many people that have been negatively effected by this whole scandal. I have friends who went there for methadone maintenance and because of this greedy man's actions, they were forced back to the streets for their drugs and relapsed. Utica needs a drug replacement therapy place. Drug replacement therapy works and it is needed in our community. Without it, you will have people with addiction issues out on the streets.

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Monday, Apr 21 at 1:04 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Ole is innocent. Will he get a fair trial in Utica NY? Who will investigate the investigators? Dirty business going on in NYS - at the hands of the very ones who should protect us. I wonder if those reading this would accept a plea bargain if they were innocent.

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