Tara Koch Settlement Hearing postponed again
Tara Koch settlement hearing is set to occur this summer with a tentative jury trial date set for October 2024.
By Cole Goodwin
The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 25, 2024 — Former Haven Director Tara Koch’s settlement hearing has been postponed again. This time it gives the former The Dalles resident another 6 months before having to appear in court.
It has been 19 months since Koch was arrested.
Koch’s trial has been delayed for over a year and a half due to various conflicts of interest, a shortage of public defenders, and caseload issues.
Her hearing is now rescheduled for August 6, 2024, at 9 a.m. in Hood River, County Court Room 2 after her prior hearing date, which was set for Jan. 12, was canceled.
During the settlement hearing, a judge will evaluate Koch’s case and discuss the possibility of settling it before it goes to trial. Settlements can involve restitution, in this case potentially up to or more than $96,000 based on conservative estimates of the money alleged to be missing by Haven. The press is not allowed to attend settlement hearings.
If a settlement is not reached during the conference then Koch will face a twelve-person jury of her peers in October 2024.
Koch was arrested in the summer of 2022 on 26 charges including theft, identity theft, and forgery.
In the interim, Koch, who is out on $25,000 bail, has had her most recent travel request approved by the court, allowing her the opportunity to travel to Utah and California.
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