A former Orange County Expressway Authority board member is sentenced to more than seven years in prison for bribery, but Scott Batterson could remain a free man for more than a year.
Batterson walked out of Orange County Jail Friday after an Orange County judge granted him a $10,000 bond Friday morning so he can appeal his sentence. That appeal which could take a year or more.
But before Batterson learned his fate, he made a public apology.
In August, former Orange County Expressway Authority board member Scott Batterson was convicted of offering a $5 million contract to a company with the promise that they would hire his friends.
Tearful friends and family packed the courtroom; some spoke on his behalf, including his mother and sister. They described him as a loving father and brother.
"When I look at the consequences of the absence from his family, my heart breaks," said Judy Batterson, Scott's mother.
And before the judge handed down her decision, Batterson apologized.
“I’m so sorry this case has further tainted the expressway authority, which, you know, an agency I really respect. I’m very sorry to the public at large, because this case engenders distrust in public service and government as a whole,” said Scott Batterson.
Then Judge Jenifer Davis sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison for two bribery charges.
Scott Batterson will be back in court again soon enough. He is expected to testify in the trial of former State Representative—now lobbyist-- Chris Dorworth, who is accused of breaking the state’s public meeting law. Dorworth’s trial is expected to start—next week.
A grand jury found Batterson, former board member Marco Pena and former state Rep. Chris Dorworth broke the law by discussing state business in private.
He pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor and will be forced to pay $500 in court fees.