According to The Times Herald, Karen Ricca, the assistant district attorney who was inexplicably suspended on April 27, was fired today during a county salary board meeting.

Ricca and District Attorney Risa Ferman declined to comment on the cause of the original suspension at the time and today, Ferman would only say that an investigation revealed Ricca's conduct "was entirely inconsistent with the high standards we have tried to maintain. She has therefore been terminated, effective immediately."

"I will not comment on the specifics of this matter because it remains under investigation," Ferman told the Herald.

Ricca led – and decided whether applicants qualified for – the county's Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition (ARD) program. The pretrial measure for first-time offenders of nonviolent crimes can prevent them from getting a criminal record.

Members of the legal community were largely caught off guard by the news. Many spoke to Patch last week and expressed shock, with one attorney saying he was shocked and that Ricca had always acted as a professional.

Read more about Ricca's initial suspension here on Patch and get more details on her firing on The Times Herald's website.

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