The recently resigned Fountain city councilwoman Detra Duncan is headed to trial.

Duncan entered a not guilty plea in court Tuesday after being accused of stealing more than $37,000 in public assistance dating back to 2016, setting her case for a March trial.

Duncan, 55, was charged with two counts of felony theft earlier this year and subsequently resigned from her city position in September. In her resignation statement, she stated that her decision to step down from her public role was not an admission of guilt.

Duncan’s trial date is set for March 30, with her next appearance in a 4th Judicial District courtroom scheduled for Dec. 16 to address any motions. The prosecution informed the court Tuesday that they had offered a plea deal to the former city councilmember, but revoked it upon her entering not guilty pleas.

According to past Gazette coverage, Duncan’s arrest affidavit includes allegations of several wrongdoings. First, it’s alleged that she concealed her employment as an elected official on employment documents, noting her $300 per month salary instead as payment for cleaning services as a custodian with the city of Fountain.

It’s also alleged in the affidavit that Duncan falsified documents to misrepresent her living situation, telling DHS she was the caregiver for two disabled family members, Duncan’s mother and uncle, who she said lived upstairs in her Fountain home. Investigators said the two family members had died by the time Duncan submitted letters she claimed had been written by them.

Duncan additionally reportedly hid the existence of her husband, Larry Duncan, in her assistance paperwork. Investigators said Duncan claimed her husband, whose name is listed on the ownership paperwork for her home, was a disabled nephew who lives in Louisiana. Larry Duncan’s income from work at the U.S. Postal Service and veterans’ benefits would have disqualified the household from the public assistance Duncan received.

Duncan was reelected to the Fountain City Council in 2023. Last year, she was the Democratic candidate for El Paso County Commission District 4, losing to Cory Applegate, who also served on the Fountain City Council. She appeared out of custody for Tuesday’s hearing.