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Lester
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Former Scottville City Clerk Kelse Rae Lester waived her right to a preliminary examination Wednesday, Sept. 30, in 79th District Court, allowing the felony case against her to move to Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court.
Mason County Prosecutor Beth Hand said Lester appeared in district court Wednesday and waived the preliminary examination. The case will now proceed in circuit court for felony criminal proceedings.
Lester, 39, is charged with embezzlement of $100,000 or more, using a computer to commit a crime and misconduct in office. She was arraigned Aug. 24 and released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
Under Michigan law, a preliminary examination is a district court hearing at which prosecutors must establish probable cause that a felony was committed and probable cause that the defendant committed it. A defendant may waive that hearing with the consent of the prosecutor. When the preliminary examination is waived, the district court binds the defendant over to circuit court on the charges contained in the complaint.
Waiving a preliminary examination is not a guilty plea and does not constitute an admission that the allegations are true. Instead, it means the defendant gives up the statutory right to require prosecutors to present sufficient evidence at that stage of the case to establish probable cause.
Michigan’s district courts handle the initial stages of felony cases, including arraignments, probable cause conferences and preliminary examinations. Once a defendant waives the examination — or a district judge conducts an examination and finds sufficient probable cause — the defendant is bound over to circuit court, which has jurisdiction over the felony proceedings.
Lester’s case had previously been scheduled for a probable cause conference Sept. 2. That hearing was adjourned at the request of her attorney, Tracie McCarn-Dinehart, who sought additional time to review discovery and request additional materials from the prosecution. At the time, Hand said Lester would either waive the preliminary examination or have one scheduled.
The charges allege Lester embezzled $100,000 or more from the city while serving as city clerk and used her position to conceal the alleged theft. The specific amount allegedly taken and the period during which the alleged embezzlement occurred have not been disclosed in open court.
Court records list Feb. 1, 2022, as the offense date for each of the three charges. Michigan State Police Trooper Matthew Demny of the MSP Hart post is the investigating officer.
Lester served as Scottville’s appointed city clerk from 2019 until her resignation in 2025.
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