In its first contested case in 27 years, the state Ethics Commission has fined a Big Island charter school employee $10,000 for 20 violations of the Ethics Code, according to the commission’s executive director, Les Kondo.

Eric Boyd, administrative assistant at Connections Public Charter School, was charged with 26 conflict-of-interest violations dating back to 2006. The strongest involved Boyd — who also owns and runs a food service business with his wife — signing off on payments to himself for providing hundreds of school meals and selling thousands of dollars worth of electronics equipment to the school.

Kondo said the case involved a $100,000-a-year contract for the food services alone at the K-12 school, which enrolls more than 350 students.

The quasi-judicial contested case hearing was held for two days in November. Boyd was represented by Ted Hong, an experienced litigator who maintained that Boyd was not a state employee and therefore not subject to the Ethics Code.

Check out past reporting on the story at Civil Beat here.

— Nathan Eagle