PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The criminal case against the Pickerington Food Pantry executive director is at a standstill after the special prosecutor assigned to the case backed out.

Vanessa Niekamp had been facing a misdemeanor charge of tampering with records related to a 2022 audit of the food pantry that was submitted to the United Way of Fairfield County in a grant application. She was expected to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge at a hearing on Sept. 19, according to the Fairfield County Prosecutor’s Office.

Niekamp also serves on the Pickerington Local School District's Board of Education and as a fiscal officer for Violet Township. Both are elected positions.

Niekamp said she has no plans to resign.

Pickerington Police Chief Tod Cheney said his department had been investigatin

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