Posted 2/28/01 Probation and community service for former mayor Former Harris Mayor Dwight Engler appeared in court Wednes-day, Feb. 21 for a trial that resulted from charges while he was still in office. Engler received a stayed jail sentence and a fine of $400 at the trial. Engler was originally charged in Sept. 2000 after allegations that he billed for services under a different name, charging a higher fee than is allowed for a public officer. The allegations brought about two separate charges; one of a public official, unauthorized compensation, was first reduced by Judge James Clifford from a felony to a misdemeanor, and then dropped due to lack of probable cause. This was done at an omnibus hearing Jan. 3, 2001. The second charge of permitting false claims against the government was found to be valid, and Engler pleaded guilty to the charge at the Feb. 21 trial. His sentence of a $500 fine and 30 days in jail was reduced to $400 and one year of probation. The city of Harris has not submitted any request for restitution regarding the incident. Englerís attorney requested that his client perform community service in lieu of paying the fine, as he is currently unemployed. Engler will work at $6 per hour until the fine is paid in full. Charges in the original complaint concerned repair work that Engler had completed on a fire department vehicle, which was then allegedly billed to the city under a different name, for a total of $160. ©Post Review