Former mayor Jeremy Farmer spotted inside Missouri courthouse, says he won’t comment on Lawrence events

Former Lawrence Mayor Jeremy Farmer waits in a hallway of the Buchanan County Courthouse on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in St. Joseph, Mo. Farmer, who has been virtually unseen in Lawrence since resigning as mayor in August, was accompanying a woman who attended a hearing at the courthouse.

The Journal-World on Thursday made contact with Jeremy Farmer for the first time since he resigned as mayor in August, but he declined to answer any questions related to the financial allegations that have been made against him.

Farmer, who has been virtually unseen in Lawrence since he resigned as mayor, was spotted in a hallway in a St. Joseph, Mo., courthouse on Thursday accompanying a woman he is said to be dating.

Farmer resigned in August after it was discovered that as CEO of Just Food, a nonprofit for the needy, he failed to pay more than $52,000 in state and federal payroll taxes.

Farmer did not have much to say when approached by a Lawrence Journal-World reporter.

“Oh, fantastic,” he said when the reporter identified herself.

“Nope, nothing to say,” he said when asked if he had time to talk.

Former Lawrence Mayor Jeremy Farmer waits in a hallway of the Buchanan County Courthouse on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015, in St. Joseph, Mo. Farmer, who has been virtually unseen in Lawrence since resigning as mayor in August, was accompanying a woman who attended a hearing at the courthouse.

When asked if he had been in contact with the city or Just Food, he walked away.

Farmer waited in the hallway of the Buchanan County Courthouse for about 30 minutes without commenting while Amanda Comeau, the woman he was accompanying, attended a child custody hearing with her ex-husband, Tad Binder. It’s believed Farmer and Comeau have been dating since spring, Binder’s attorney has said.

City credit card records show that Comeau and Farmer were on the same return flight from Washington, D.C., in July. Farmer was there to attend a conference hosted by the Young Elected Officials Network. He had to repay the city $103 that he charged on a city credit card for a fee to change Comeau’s flight. Farmer has said he used the city card for personal purchases because his own cards had been “compromised.”

Since Farmer’s resignation, Just Food has raised more than $60,000 to pay off its tax debt to federal and state officials. The nonprofit food bank has pledged to work with law enforcement on any matters related to Farmer’s alleged improprieties at Just Food. Thus far, no charges have been filed against Farmer.

Farmer moved out of his Lawrence home at 1135 Randall Road on Oct. 31, according to his landlord.

He denied in a deposition for the custody case that he is living with Comeau at her house in St. Joseph.

Possible criminal charges related to financial allegations?

From Nov. 6 “Town Talk” blog post by Journal-World managing editor Chad Lawhorn:

As for other updates on Farmer’s situation, we are kind of in wait-and-see mode. Charges haven’t been filed yet. As we’ve previously reported, it doesn’t sound like the type of case that local prosecutors are planning to deal with. Instead, my understanding is that federal investigators have taken the lead.

I don’t have great detail on the matter, but there could be numerous federal agencies that could be interested, with the IRS likely being near the top of the list. People who are familiar with such matters tell me federal investigations take their time. I think it could be months yet before we know whether criminal charges will be filed in the matter.

But there likely will be other opportunities for updates before then. As we previously have reported, the Just Food board has ordered an audit. My understanding is that audit is still in process. But when it is completed, we’ll seek to get a copy and report on its results.

Related story (Nov. 19, 2015)

? Former Lawrence Mayor Jeremy Farmer turns up in Missouri court