Deliberations Begin in Ex-Shepherd Administrator's Trial

Jury deliberations have begun in the trial of a former Shepherd University administrator accused of making unauthorized purchases with a state-issued card.

Fifty-year-old Elizabeth “Libby” Shanton of Martinsburg is charged with one count of fraudulent schemes and 53 counts of misuse of a state-issued purchasing card.

The Journal reports that a Berkeley County Circuit Court jury began deliberations Monday afternoon following two weeks of testimony.

Shanton is accused of using a state purchasing card to buy more than $85,000 worth of goods and services that were not for official state purposes.

Shanton’s attorney, Shawn McDermott, told jurors on Monday in closing arguments that she was a scapegoat for a “liberal culture of spending” at Shepherd.