By CHRIS COLLINS

Baker City Herald

A former child welfare supervisor for Baker, Union and Wallowa counties pleaded guilty Tuesday in Baker County Circuit Court to trespassing at her boss’ Baker City home last fall.

Judge Greg Baxter sentenced Kandi Ann Nafziger, 33, of Summerville to a six-month jail term, which will be suspended upon successful completion of two years’ probation. Nafziger, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree criminal trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor in a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office.

Nafziger also was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service work. Baxter gave her credit for 50 hours she already has completed as a volunteer helping math students at Imbler Elementary School.

The judge also ordered Nafziger to write a letter of apology to Steve and Marilyn Jones, whose Baker City home she was found trespassing in on Nov. 1.

Bob Moon, a Baker City attorney who represented Nafziger, said his client went to the Jones home to deliver a message to her supervisor, Marilyn Jones, after the two had a confrontation at work.

andquot;She went into the house unlawfully; she should not have done that and she’s sorry for that whole episode,andquot; Moon said.

Nafziger declined to speak at the sentencing.

She was placed on paid leave from her job as a Department of Human Services child welfare program manager for Baker, Union and Wallowa counties on Nov. 1, 2007, and was fired from her job on Dec. 14, Louise Melton-Breen, DHS human resources director, said.

Marilyn Jones and Melton-Breen both declined to comment on Nafziger’s possible motive for entering the Jones home.

Some of Nafziger’s personnel records were released to the Baker City Herald by the state Department of Justice in response to a public records request from the newspaper. E-mails between Jones and Nafziger point to concerns about Nafziger’s job performance and the amount of time she was spending away from her offices in the three counties.

In an Oct. 15, 2007, e-mail to Jones, Nafziger asked for a meeting to discuss Jones’s expectations of her.

andquot;After much thought, I came to the conclusion that if I successfully comply with these expectations it will actually become a barrier to my success as a program manager,andquot; Nafziger wrote.

Jones responded on Oct. 17 in an e-mail to clarify her directive:

andquot;It is my intent that you are based out of one office on any given day, allowing you to be accessible to staff and community partners,andquot; Jones wrote.

She advised Nafziger that as a manager she was expected to work a professional work week, with flexible hours as needed.

andquot;Working in the middle of the night can not be a substitute for being present during the day,andquot; Jones wrote. andquot;Being present during the day allows your staff and our community partners to have access to you which is vital to the work we do.andquot;

Steve Jones found Nafziger in the couple’s home about 11 a.m. Nov. 1. She was arrested Nov. 2 after first being interviewed at the La Grande office of the Oregon State Police where her husband, David Nafziger, is employed as a detective. Her husband accompanied her to court Friday.

As part of the plea agreement, Nafziger also was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and to follow any recommended treatment. The evaluation also has been completed and Dr. Crispin Juguilion, a Pendleton psychiatrist, has diagnosed Nafziger with andquot;a major depressive disorder,andquot; Moon said.

Nafziger also is in therapy with Sara Hsu, Moon said. Baxter said he will require a quarterly report from her therapist detailing Nafziger’s progress or an explanation of why therapy has been terminated.

And he ordered Nafziger to pay fines and fees of $632. As part of the plea agreement, she will not be charged with any Union County crimes in connection with the investigation, said District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff.

After stories about the trespassing incident at the Jones’ home appeared in the Baker City Herald and The (La Grande) Observer, Nafziger was identified as a suspect in three Union County incidents, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

Nafziger, who earned $4,991 per month as the child welfare program manager, started her DHS career in 1998 as a child welfare caseworker in the La Grande office, Melton-Breen said. She was promoted to child welfare supervisor in the La Grande office on Aug. 1, 2004, and then promoted to child welfare program manager for the three counties on April 6, 2006.

Marilyn Jones had served as Nafziger’s supervisor since May 2007 when she was named interim DHS District 13 supervisor, replacing Todd Siex. Jones, a 12-year DHS employee, was hired as the permanent District 13 supervisor in January. Nafziger’s position was filled by Chris Black of Baker City.