County files suit against Asphalt Paving

BRIGHTON -- Adams County filed an $8.6 million civil lawsuit in federal court against Quality Paving, Quality resurfacing and former Adams County public works employees.

The Adams County District Attorney's Office said its investigation identified more than $8.5 million in criminal and non-criminal losses for the county.

"The district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office are pleased that our provision of over 80,000 pages of documents, expert engineering reports and accounting reports have been put to good use to return the taxpayers money," said DA spokeswoman Krista Flannigan in a press release.

In May, the commissioners voted to file a $1.8 civil suit against the paving company, associated parties and a former county employee whose name is attached to the work done. It was part of a meeting in which the board outlined a new standards of ethics, some which could be attributed to Commissioner Alice Nichol and her agreement to hire the paving company for work at her home and selling privately-owned real estate to the county.

The issues concerning the paving company involve billing for work never completed or double-billing, in some cases, as well as a $10,000 paving project at Nichol’s home while the commissioners were approving noncompetitive bids and change orders that benefited the company.

The civil suit is totally independent of the criminal case. Flannigan said the DA's office would continue separate criminal prosecutions and its ongoing investigation.