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Arrest Warrant Issued For Former Seattle Schools Official Silas Potter

Ann Dornfeld

Former Seattle Public Schools official Silas Potter has disappeared, just weeks before his trial was to begin for his alleged theft of a quarter-million dollars from the district.

Potter faces 42 counts of felony theft for allegedly giving phony contracts to dummy companies that he set up with two accomplices between 2005 and 2009, when Potter headed two small business contracting programs within the school district.

At Potter’s pre-trial hearing today, defense attorney Seth Conant told the judge that his client was in the hospital last week, but the defense team hasn’t been able to locate him since then. Conant said Potter also missed a court appointment on Wednesday.

Conant told the judge he’d work diligently to locate his client. But the judge said it may be easier to find Potter if more folks were looking for him, and he issued a bench warrant for Potter’s arrest.

Co-defendant David A. Johnson did appear in court today. Their joint trial date was moved to May 13 so the defense can have more time to prepare.

A third co-defendant in the case pleaded guilty last June to felony theft charges.

Year started with KUOW: 2008