Lawyers for a Butler County couple accused of stealing from their former employer in Jefferson Township challenged the charges Wednesday during a preliminary hearing, with one lawyer arguing the case is a civil matter, not a criminal one.

Prosecutors accused Adam Lesseski and Kara Lesseski of stealing $340,000 from their former employer, Larry Treadway, between 2017 and 2019. According to authorities, Treadway owns Concrete Coring Company,

But Adam Lesseski’s attorney, Charles Hoebler of Carnegie, said Wednesday that Treadway lied, and that his client is the one who owns the highway maintenance company, arguing Adam Lesseski purchased the company in early 2019. District Judge Sue Haggerty in Saxonburg dismissed the counter arguments and bound the charges against both Lesseskis over to the Common Pleas level.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Thursday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article about the hearing.