SMETHPORT – In a settlement worked out before a “show-cause”
hearing in McKean County Court, former court reporter Diane Cheatle
concurred with a four-point agreement that will result in civil
contempt charges against her being dropped.

Cheatle, the court’s only reporter, had resigned her position
Oct. 20 and moved to Alabama.

In an order last Wednesday, President Judge John Cleland said
stated that it appeared that “transcripts and court orders have not
been completed in accordance with previous assurances made by Diane
Cheatle to the court; and it further appearing she has not returned
phone calls or responded to e-mails requesting information
regarding the status of the outstanding work.

The judge then ordered Cheatle to appear explain why she should
not be held in contempt of court.

When the hearing convened, Cleland explained that he and Dan
Wertz, Cheatle’s attorney, had met beforehand and worked out an
agreement under which Cheatle would within 24 hours produce an
affidavit specifying what work was undone and when it would be
completed. The agreement allows her the use of a county laptop
computer, and states that she is not responsible for any court
proceedings after her resignation date.

It also requires a $10,000 bond guaranteeing that the work will
done within the time specified in the affidavit, which Wertz
expected to file today.

Cheatle herself was in the courthouse Monday, but did not appear
at the hearing.

Meeting privately with a reporter after the hearing, Cheatle
said there was never any doubt that she would complete the work,
which she said consists of four transcripts and no court orders,
with a fifth transcript a possibility.

She displayed her letter of resignation, in which she stated
that she was “… relocating to Alabama, but will, of course, be
completing all of my pending work for McKean County.”

Cheatle also denied not returning phone calls and e-mail, saying
several calls were made to her cell phone while she was traveling
and out of reach of service, and that she had checked her e-mail
and found none from the court.

Explaining her resignation, she said that the job had become
overwhelming, with the court now having two judges and two masters
and only one reporter.

“I have no life,” she said, noting that she often had to work
weekends, and that working at night was common.

“I had a rubber mattress in my office,” she said, “and I often
slept there.”

“When they had DUI classes, Mark Caldwell and Gary Seefeldt
would bring me a donut, knowing that it would be my supper.”

According to Cheatle, when she asked for another reporter, she
was told a part-time one would be hired on a contract basis; that
person would make more than her $39,330 salary, she said.

While she did get a secretary who could do the court orders,
that person often ended up monitoring the recording system in
hearings presided over by masters, she claims.

Cheatle’s letter of resignation, addressed to Cleland, states
that the past few years have been “very stressful to me, both
professionally and personally.”

She explained that while she was spending all her time trying to
finish a transcript for an appeal by Timothy Williams, who was
convicted of killing Kane Borough Police Officer Steve Jerman, her
marriage broke up, and at one point she had an “emotional
breakdown” in court.

Cheatle claims that, once courthouse renovations began, the
situation became worse, and that she had little no communication
with Cleland, and no support from others on the court staff.

While she apparently did not spoken formally with Cleland or
Court Administrator Joanne Bly about her intention to leave, she
said Monday that it was no secret, and she had talked about it with
many others, telling several about the kennels that a contractor
was building for her in Alabama.

When she finally was able to sell her house and be assured the
sale would close at the end of October, she submitted the
resignation and left.

Cleland said Monday that the court will now use a digital
recording system and not have a court reporter.

He noted that the present commissioners have always been
supportive of attempts to utilize technology to increase the
court’s efficiency, and pointed out that certified court reporters
are hard to find in this area.

Three people from the county court went to Venago County last
week to observe the system, called FTR Gold, in action and to get
training.

Venango, Bradford and Warren counties are among those that
presently use FTR, Cleland said.