Julia Olson-Boseman to avoid jail time as judge temporarily lifts arrest order
A Wake County judge agreed last week to temporarily lift an arrest order for Julia Olson-Boseman, chair of New Hanover County's Board of Commissioners.
That means Olson-Boseman will avoid jail time for at least 21 days as she works to provide the State Bar with court-ordered records. The judge's consent order came two weeks after the State Bar and an attorney representing Olson-Boseman agreed to a motion asking a judge to temporarily lift her arrest order, which was issued on July 18.
The order for Olson-Boseman's arrest was issued after a judge ruled she was in civil contempt of court after failing to comply with a court order to turn over records to the State Bar as it investigates allegations Olson-Boseman mishandled client funds as she closed her law practice.
Comply or go to jail: Judge rules Julia Olson-Boseman is in contempt of court order
Previous coverage: State Bar agrees to temporarily lift arrest order for Julia Olson-Boseman
The consent order, which was filed on Aug. 10, outlines the financial records requested by the State Bar and notes that Olson-Boseman "has now submitted a response to each of these inquiries."
"At this point, Ms. Boseman represents that she is unaware of anything further she can do to get these documents to the Bar," the consent order states.
Joshua Walthall, the Raleigh-based lawyer representing Olson-Boseman, has said she's making "every effort" to obtain the requested documents. The consent order lifts the order for arrest for 21 days from the date it was filed, lifting the arrest order until at least the end of August.
A court order for arrest is not the same as an arrest warrant. An arrest warrant is typically issued by law enforcement when there's probable cause to charge someone with a crime but an order for arrest is issued by a judge and can usually be resolved by compliance with the original court order.
Since the arrest order was issued in July, members of the board of commissioners have said they consider the State Bar's investigation a "personal matter." Per state statue, the board cannot remove an elected commissioner unless the person moves out of the district they were elected to represent or is convicted of a felony.
Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Arrest order lifted for New Hanover Commissioner Julia Olson-Boseman
