Former PEC top dogs Fuelberg, Demond enter pleas of not-guilty

By Claudia Grisales
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Austin American-Statesman

Link to the full story: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/18/0718pec.html

The former top executive and former top lawyer for the Pedernales Electric Cooperative have entered not-guilty pleas in the criminal grand jury investigation of former officials tied to the Johnson City-based utility.

Court filings in Blanco County show Bennie Fuelberg, the co-op's former longtime general manager, and the utility's former lawyer, Walter Demond, entered their pleas July 7.

On July 10, their attorneys also filed notice that the two defendants would waive their right to an arraignment, a largely perfunctory court proceeding originally slated for Friday. A status hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 4.

Last month, a Blanco County grand jury handed down indictments against Fuelberg and Demond. The investigation has been led by the Texas attorney general's office.