GLENWOOD, Georgia — A former hospital CEO who pleaded guilty to theft is avoiding jail time because of a deal he struck.
Norman King was CEO of Lower Oconee Community Hospital when it shut down in 2014.
King’s indictment alleges that he stole from 44 of his employees and is "in breach of his fiduciary obligation" as the hospital's CEO.
According to the Georgia Insurance Commissioner's Office, King allegedly siphoned funds intended for employees' health insurance premiums, only making partial payments and pocketing the rest.
On Aug. 12, King pleaded guilty to one count of theft in exchange for the 43 other counts not being prosecuted.
Genise Spires worked under him as a nurse at the hospital.
"I worked here from 2006 to 2014," she said.
Spires said she loved her job at the hospital and loved working with her coworkers; it all came crashing down and caught her by surprise one day.
"On June the 13 was my last day getting up. We had worked that Sunday night. We had got a call saying that the hospital doors were being closed. Don't worry about coming," Spires said.
About 100 of her coworkers were out of a job overnight.
"This hospital had, it was more than a hospital. The employees were a family. And we worked together, we played together, we cried together," Spires said.
Back in 2014, the hospital said it closed because of money. Spires said many of her coworkers still haven't been properly paid a decade later.
"We had went eight weeks without pay. We had been promised that we, we would get our pay. We never got it," Spires said.
When the hospital closed its doors, it affected so much more than just the patients and the employees here. Glenwood's only grocery store also closed when the hospital shut down.
Glenwood Mayor G.M. Joiner said it hasn't stopped there.
"It's a domino effect. Since the hospital closed, we've lost our, we had a little branch bank over here," he said.
Joiner said it's devastating what happened to the town after the loss of the hospital, and Spires said she's still waiting on proper justice for King.
"You messed with the community here. Because they no longer have a hospital. And because of that, there's deaths that occur that could have been prevented because they have to go so far away for health care," Spires said.
King was sentenced to 10 years years, but was given probation. That means if he follows the terms of his probation, he won't ever have to step foot inside a Georgia prison.
Within 90 days, a hearing will be scheduled to determine how much money king has to pay his victims, according to Oconee District Attorney Tim Vaughn.
Spires said no amount will ever right the wrongs he did to the community.