MACHIAS – A Washington County Superior Court judge Thursday ordered a former Alexander school board member to repay credit card charges she had made on a card that belonged to her dead friend.

Lisa Marie Thompson, 39, entered a plea of no contest to a charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

Justice Joseph Jabar said he would enter a guilty plea on her behalf and ordered her to pay restitution of $297 and a $100 fine.

Thompson was appointed to the school board on Dec. 2, 2002, and resigned on June 7, 2004.

In December 2003, Marie Roderick, 29, of Meddybemps was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Route 191 near the Marion Township line.

Roderick was traveling toward East Machias when she lost control of her 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser after hitting a patch of black ice and sand.

Lee Roderick, the accident victim’s husband, told Jabar that two days later his wife’s credit card company notified him about some unusual charges. The card was canceled.

He said given the circumstances surrounding Thompson’s crime he did not believe a fine and restitution were appropriate. He asked for jail time for Thompson. “I think she should get as much as she can get,” he said. “She was a friend of my wife, and a day after her death this woman is stealing from us.”

But Thompson’s attorney, John Mitchell of Calais, said there were extenuating circumstances.

The attorney said that Roderick and her children had moved into a camp near the Thompsons after the couple had split up. He said Thompson had helped Roderick because Lee Roderick was not providing financial support for his wife.

“These people befriended her and helped her,” he said.

Mitchell said Thompson believed she could put charges on the card because Roderick had given it to her. “She admits she overspent the card,” Mitchell said.

The Calais attorney said that his client had no prior record.

The judge agreed with the negotiated plea and ordered Thompson to pay the fine and restitution.